


Mountains' Heart

by NightmareWalker



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drack and Vetra advisors to Ryder, F/F, Peebee her usual snarky and adorable self, Rebel AU, Scars, Tags to be added, Warlord Ryder, discussion of wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2018-10-30 12:32:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10876866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightmareWalker/pseuds/NightmareWalker
Summary: “I am a Warlord, asari.  I am Leader by Right of Combat and you would do well to remember that.”  She pushed the asari away and watched impassively as she fell back, unable to catch herself with her hands bound behind her back.  “Take her to a cell.  I will be by later to question her.”“Hey, hey – wait, you can’t – I haven’t done anything!”  The asari writhed and kicked futilely as the soldiers grasped her beneath her armpits and began dragging her away.  “Wait!"Peebee and Ryder meet under vastly different circumstances; a hardened Rebel-turned-Leader and an adventurous technical genius?  There's no way they could possibly have anything in common....right?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah, this is definitely based off a couple conversations while in the Nomad between Ryder and Drack about Ryder being the Warlord of a Krogan Krant. I heard the first one and my imagination went wild, not gonna lie. This will be slowly updated when I have time, as I'm currently working insane hours and am splitting my attention between this story and an upcoming Shepard story that I will post the first chapter of soon-ish.

Seated within a hastily constructed building hidden deep in the Badlands on Kadara, a small woman sprawled across a wide, sparse throne that sat elevated on a small dais.  She pushed her dark hair away from her face as she idly played with a small boot knife, twirling it around her fingers and occasionally pausing to scratch something into the arm of her throne.  Guards stood at attention around the perimeter of the room as workers scurried about, carrying materials and tools to make the space livable and secure.  Arctic blue eyes lifted from the etching in the metal of the throne as someone cleared their throat and the woman looked into the face of one of her closest friends, and most trusted advisor. 

“Commander.  What news do you bring?”

“We’ve established a rough barracks for the soldiers and workers, and I’ve already got my people at work patrolling the far reaches of our territory.  So far, they’ve reported nothing besides the normal fauna in the area, but we’ll be ready if Kelly’s forces show up again.”

“Good.  We won’t be caught off guard again.”  The woman’s expression darkened as she unconsciously traced a fresh scar on her cheek and rolled her shoulders.  “Is there anything else to report?  How is everyone adjusting to life outside the bonds of the Initiative and the Outcasts?”

“Most of them seem at ease with the new order of things, although I’ve had a handful of fights break out since we found this place.  They’ve already been disciplined; I don’t expect more trouble from them, but I’ve assigned the perpetrators to help with the building effort as a precaution.  For the most part though, I’ve heard nothing but praise for you and your efforts.”

“Hardly only my efforts,” she scoffed.  Her expression softened affectionately as she smiled.  “Thank you, Vetra.  I don’t know what I’d do without you here.” 

Vetra’s mandibles flared in embarrassment and she averted her eyes modestly, shuffling in place as she took the last step to be on even ground with the throne.  “You would _succeed_ , Warlord, just as you have done since coming out of cryo.”  Vetra cringed at the sharp look she received and lowered her voice.  “You _know_ that’s the title they’ve given you.  You have to get used to it.”

 “But I miss my _name_.”

“But ‘Warlord’ has such a nice ring to it, don’t you think?  Warlord Ryder, leader of the new Republic-”

“Mastermind of the revolt on the Nexus, First of the Exiled, Shame of the Pathfinders…traitor.  Shall I go on?  I heard some other, more…colorful monikers before I left.” 

Vetra’s eyes softened sadly as she closed the small distance between them.  “Ryder…Salem.  They’re just names.  They don’t mean anything unless you _make_ them mean something.”  She laid her clawed hand over Salem’s briefly and then stepped back with a respectful bow.  “I have to make my rounds; I’ll return later today?”

“We can have dinner.  I think there’s some of that fruit left over from the last shipment you magicked in,” Ryder said with a wan smile.  She dismissed Vetra with a wave of her hand and returned her attention to her knife once her friend disappeared through the doors at the end of the hall. 

As she flipped the blade through the air and caught it by the hilt, the doors slid open and a harried soldier rushed through, bowing perfunctorily at her.  “Warlord, apologies for the intrusion, but we’ve found someone on the border!” 

She raised her eyebrow with curiosity that was hidden behind the mask of calm superiority that slammed over her features.  “One of Kelly’s spies?”

“No….at least, we don’t think so.”  The soldier shuffled his feet nervously as he muttered under his breath.

Salem leveled a glare at him as she snapped, “Speak up, man!” 

He jumped and stiffened like a board.  “Of course!  My apologies, Warlord!  It’s an asari; they found her snooping around the edge of our territory.  I ran ahead to tell you before they got here.” 

On cue, the doors slid open again and two more soldiers walked in, brandishing their weapons at an asari who walked between them with her hands cuffed behind her back.  Salem watched them approach with sharp eyes, unconsciously twirling the small boot knife between her fingers as they stopped at the base of the dais.  One of the soldiers shoved the asari forward with the butt of his gun so she stumbled to her knees before Salem and she barely caught herself on the step before her face hit the edge of it.  She twisted and snarled at the soldiers, “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you’re lucky I’m cuffed or I would kick your ass so hard-”

The soldier got in her face and lifted his pistol between her eyes as he snapped at her.  “Get back on your knees, you spying bitch.”

“Fine, _fine._   Yeesh, you think you’d know how to show a lady some manners.  Who the hell is so important that I ne-” As she returned to her kneeling position and looked up at Ryder, her jaw dropped and her hazel eyes, gleaming beneath the wide black striping across her face, widened with some mixture of recognition and fear.  “ _Fuck_.”

“Show respect, asari!”  The soldier smacked her shoulder with his weapon and she flinched away when he raised it again.

Ryder imperiously lifted her hand to stay his blow and everyone froze, eyes locked on her as she slowly rose from her throne.  She studied the asari as she stepped off the dais; the black stripe that stretched across her eyes and her faint eyebrow markings, the nearly invisible white lines on her forehead and the scattered, iridescent scales in her crests that glimmered under the artificial light that filtered through the windows nearby.  Ryder held the asari’s eyes as she descended to her level, crouching before her as she lifted her chin with the tip of her blade.  “Who are you, little asari?” 

A startled burst of laughter broke the tense silence as the asari threw her head back in mirth.  “Who are you calling little?  You’re _tiny._   I thought the vaunted First Exile was some big, hulking behemoth of a human?  You’re not even as tall as me!” 

Ryder’s jaw clenched and her hand shot out, grasping the asari’s chin hard and drawing a pained gasp from her lips.  “I am a _Warlord_ , asari.  I am _Leader_ by Right of Combat and you would do well to remember that.”  She pushed the asari away and watched impassively as she fell back, unable to catch herself with her hands bound behind her back.  “Take her to a cell.  I will be by later to question her.”

“Hey, _hey_ – wait, you can’t – I haven’t _done_ anything!”  The asari writhed and kicked futilely as the soldiers grasped her beneath her armpits and began dragging her away.  “ _Wait!_   Athame’s tits, will you listen?!” 

Ryder ignored the asari as she returned to her throne and sat back down, eyes panning across the crowd that had gathered when the asari was brought in.  “There’s nothing more to see,” she said, raising her voice.  “Get back to work.  We have much to accomplish before we’re safe here.”

~~~~~~

Salem walked out of the throne room late that evening and crossed the cavern toward a natural tunnel that emptied out into a smaller cave.  Lights were embedded in the stone and illuminated the tables set up throughout the room.  The mess hall was filled with people going on duty and off, soldiers and workers alike sitting side by side and talking quietly as they picked through the meager rations left from their flight from Kadara Port.  She sighed inwardly as all conversation ceased about halfway across the room and everyone scrambled to their feet.  They pressed their fists against their chests and greeted her as one, and she waved her hand lackadaisically as she stepped up to the salarian behind the long counter on the far wall. 

“Warlord!  What will it be?”

“There’s should be some dried fruit left over, and I believe a piece of meat from the eiroch the men took down last week.”  The salarian nodded and laid out the food on a tin plate for Salem, and she nodded gratefully at him before leaving the mess hall. 

She walked further into the cave system, nodding at the occasional passerby, but didn’t stop until she felt warm air blow past her.  A faint smile crossed her lips and she closed her eyes as bright light pierced her eyes.  When her vision cleared, she looked out over the dramatic mountain range toward the setting sun and let her shoulders drop as she leaned back against the rock wall.  She picked at the food on her plate and watched the sun disappear behind the mountains, blanketing the area in comfortable half-light, and turned her head when she heard familiar humming from within the cave. 

“You know,” she called out conversationally, “it’s a good thing turians can’t whistle.  I can’t imagine how much more annoying you would be otherwise.”

“You love my humming, Salem, it reminds you of better days.”

“You mean Before?  I swear to God, I woke up with a damn six hundred year old earworm,” she growled playfully.  Vetra’s eyes shone mischievously and she hummed an over familiar tune, laughing with her multi-toned voice as Salem groaned loudly.  “Please don’t, it took me a fucking month to get rid of that _last_ time.”

“Fine, you child.”  Vetra picked at a dextro-rich rations bar and leaned next to Salem.  They stared out across the expansive landscape silently as the light filtered away and unfamiliar constellations slowly winked into existence.  “Makes you realize just how far we’ve come, doesn’t it?”  Vetra looked up into the night sky.  “I mean, I don’t think I’ll ever forget what the stars looked like on Palaven, but…after a while?  They all blurred together; one place after the other.  Here though, there’s always something new to find.”

“I didn’t know you were such a romantic,” Salem teased, gently elbowing Vetra in the side. 

“It’s not romantic!  It’s just…” 

Vetra trailed off with a put upon sigh and Salem gently pushed her.  “Yes it is, you big softly.  Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“You’d better not, or I’ll tell _everyone_ how the big, bad Alliance soldier once lost a bet and had to get on her knees to-” 

Salem slapped her hand over Vetra’s mouth and glared at her when she chuckled.  “If you do, I’ll make you patrol the turbine ridge for a month.” 

Vetra’s mandibles flared and her eyes widened dramatically as she nodded vigorously.  Salem smiled saccharinely as she stepped back and Vetra narrowed her eyes.  “You play dirty.”

“Can’t get anywhere without getting a _little_ dirty.”

“True enough.” 

Salem set her plate aside and rolled her eyes when Vetra grumbled under her breath.  “What now?”

“You aren’t eating enough.”

“Says who?”

“Says _me_ ; aren’t humans supposed to be, well, _more?_ ”  Vetra poked Salem’s side with a claw.  “I can feel your ribs beneath your shirt.”

“I’m not hungry.  Humans don’t go through nutrients like you turians do.”  She gestured at the bar in Vetra’s hand.  “Benefit of evolving a body that uses calories more efficiently.”  Salem patted her stomach.  “Besides, I’m all muscle; no spaghetti arms here.”

“You’re _tiny_.”

“I’m _compact_ , and compared to you, _anyone_ would look small.  Now, I need to go visit an intruder, so, unless you have more thrilling observations to make about my stature…”

“I’m sure I can contain myself until morning, Ryder.”  Vetra waved Salem off and took another bite of her rations bar.  “I’ll just be here, gorging myself on my _nutrient and calorie rich_ dextro bar.  Getting fat and soft with my endless inactivity.  Don’t worry about me.” 

Salem snorted as she said goodbye and walked along the narrow path outside the cave system, carelessly toeing the cliffside with easy grace.  She slowed her steps when she came within sight of the rough hewn doorway, nodding at the guard on duty as she passed by.  She rearranged her expression to one of calm arrogance and paused before the bars of a cell partway through the cave.  Unaware of her spectator, the asari that had been brought in earlier in the day was sitting with her legs dangling over the open edge of the cliff on the other side of the cell.  Salem watched as she carelessly leaned out over the dizzying height and threw some debris into the wide open air.  “You know,” she said conversationally, “most people tend to avoid the edge of their cell.  Heights, you know.” 

The asari whirled so violently that Salem half expected her to fall off the edge.  She hopped up immediately and stood face to face with Salem with only the bars separating them.  “I know you think you’re some bigshot _Warlord_ , with your fancy title and throne and fucking scars, but you have _no_ right to hold m-”

“I don’t know who you are,” Salem cut in, expression fierce and stern.  “A strange asari wanders into my territory for no reason and proceeds to fight my men, sending several to the infirmary?  That alone is reason for suspicion.  The fact that you remain uncooperative and refuse to tell my people what you were doing here just makes it worse.”

“They were _shooting_ at me; did you expect me to lay down and let them take me?”  The asari scoffed and shook her hand angrily at Salem, rattling the slim bracelet that stood out starkly against her skin.  “They managed to get this nifty little thing on me anyway, so what do you care?  Maybe you should train your men better.”

“Maybe you should tell me what I want to know so I can get you the hell out of my territory,” Salem snapped.  Her patience thoroughly frayed by the asari’s continued defiance and sarcastic responses, she shoved the plate of food through the bars and barely paused so she could catch it before it hit the ground.  “I was going to offer you a bed, but I suppose this will suffice until you decide to fucking answer me.” 

Salem stalked down the corridor and had just hit the guard station when she heard the asari call out to her.  “Hey!  Wait a minute!”  She considered leaving, but the asari’s pleading tone made her hesitate long enough to consider that she might have something important to say, so Salem sighed and turned back around.  The asari was watching her avidly and chewing hungrily at the meat still on the plate, fruit long since eaten.  “Do you mean it?”

“What?”

“The bed.  Do you mean it?” 

Salem regarded her again, the tired eyes beneath the veneer of mischievousness and the stress lines that were carved into her face.  She watched her pick nervously at the piece of food between her fingers, slowly shredding it into a pile on the plate, and felt a surge of empathy fill her chest.  “Fine.”  Face stoic and reserved, Salem nonetheless smiled inwardly when the asari’s head jerked up in surprise and she gaped wordlessly.  “On one condition.” 

Her expression closed off immediately and Salem felt amusement poke at the edge of her consciousness at the emotions that were barely held in check behind hazel eyes.  “Yeah?”

“You name.”

“That’s all?”

“For now.” 

The asari pondered for a minute, then nodded and set the plate aside.  She stood and held her hand out through the bars.  “Peebee.”

“Peebee?  No surname?  Kind of informal for an asari, isn’t it?”

“It’s my name,” she – Peebee, Salem’s mind filled in bemusedly – insisted.  “What’s yours?”

“You may call me Warlord, or Ryder,” Salem said after a moment’s indecision. 

Peebee tipped her head to the side.  “But that’s a title.”

“It’s as good as my name now, and it’s what you’ll call me, or you can stay here.”

“Fine, fine, I get it.”  Peebee held up her hands placatingly and stepped back when Salem opened her omni-tool and unlocked the gate.  She stepped aside for the asari to walk through and turned on her heel to lead her back outside, nodding again at the guard on her way out.  They walked silently through the cave and Salem stopped on the edge of the cavern in front of a small building. 

“My quarters,” she said.  “You’ll stay with me.”

“Oooh, I get part of a tin can for myself!  How plush!”  Peebee darted ahead of Salem and was inside the building before she had fully climbed the stairs. 

Salem found her snooping around the small space, sticking her head inside the myriad small cabinets, beneath the beds, and inside the single room that housed the shower.  “You can sleep there,” she said, gesturing at the small bed located across from hers in a shallow alcove.  “There are a few things in the cabinets that are mine, but otherwise you’ll have full run of the place, more or less.”

“Trust me that much already?”

“I won’t be here.”  Salem shook her head and took a book off a shelf over the counter.  She sat on the edge of her bed and opened it, handily dismissing Peebee.  The asari looked around the small building again and shortly after flopped onto her bed with a bored sigh.  She glanced over at Salem from the corner of her eye and, when there was no reaction, sighed again, louder.  Eventually – after the fifth sigh that was very nearly a moan – Salem put her finger where she stopped reading and looked over at Peebee.  “Yes?”

“I’m bored.”

“Okay?”

“Entertain me.” 

Salem snorted and shook her head.  “Go to sleep.”

“Excuse you?”

“It’s late, go to sleep.  I have an early day and don’t need you keeping me up.”  Peebee gaped at Salem as she put a marker in her book and rolled over, yanking thin covers over her shoulder.  “Shut the lights off.” 

Peebee, to prove a point, laid on the bed for a handful of minutes, staring up at the lights, but finally got up when she heard a pointed yawn.  She laid beneath the covers and stared up at the dark ceiling, slowly giving into the lure of sleep as the day caught up with her.


	2. First Impressions Can be Deceiving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long delay, guys. Suffice to say, work is...not fun. In the past ten weeks, I've had five days off, and, frankly, I'm at my wit's end. The upside is, I'm still a couple chapters ahead of this. The downside, I can't honestly tell you when I'll be able to update again. Regardless, here's this, enjoy!

_“Entertain me.”_

_Salem snorted and shook her head.  “Go to sleep.”_

_“Excuse you?”_

_“It’s late, go to sleep.  I have an early day and don’t need you keeping me up.”  Peebee gaped at Salem as she put a marker in her book and rolled over, yanking thin covers over her shoulder.  “Shut the lights off.”_

_Peebee, to prove a point, laid on the bed for a handful of minutes, staring up at the lights, but finally got up when she heard a pointed yawn.  She laid beneath the covers and stared up at the dark ceiling, slowly giving into the lure of sleep as the day caught up with her._

~~~~~~

Peebee woke up in increments, first aware of the soft bedding under her cheek, then the nearly silent whir of the air filter and the vague sound of tools being used nearby.  She peeled an eye open and stared at the window over her head, getting a helpful eyeful of stone, and dragged herself upright while stretching and groaning when her joints popped. 

“Mmmm, that was refreshing.  I have to say, your Warlordiness…”  Peebee’s voice dropped off when she looked over at the opposite bed and realized Salem wasn’t in it; the covers were perfectly pulled back, hospital corners tucked in and pillow laid atop the sheet squarely.  She sighed and set her feet on the floor, flinching as the cool metal met the bottom of her bare feet.  “Of course she isn’t here.”  She poked through the cabinets once more, then pulled her boots on and walked out into the cave. 

Following the sound of people working, she came upon a group who were flattening a piece of metal and making marks on the sheet.  She waved at them and stopped to ask, “Where can I find some food around here?”

“New?”

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

“Head to the other side of the cavern, there’s a short tunnel that leads to the mess.” 

Peebee thanked them and wandered off, taking in the sheer number of people working together and scurrying from place to place with purpose in their steps.  She found her way to the mess and got in line with a handful of others, taking a plate of rations and some tough meat.  As she sat down and cocked her head at the food, she saw someone set their plate down across from hers and looked up into the face of a turian.  “Morning, or, at least I assume it’s morning.  Is it morning?” 

The turian’s mandibles fluttered and her eyes shone with amusement.  “Yes, it’s morning.  Rather later morning, but still.” 

Her flange was a pleasantly deep sound against the naturally higher pitch of her voice and Peebee smiled easily across the table as she chewed on the meat.  “Not to sound like a bitch, but why are you sitting here?”

“Can’t I want to get to know a new face?”

“You could, but turians,” Peebee said dryly. 

Across the table, the turian laughed and stuck her clawed hand out to be shook.  “True, but I’m not like most turians.  Sid Nyx.”

“Peebee.”

“What brings you to Kadara, and here?”

“Originally?  The remnant.  Then, the soldiers here.  Apparently, I wandered too close to the territory,” she said with an eyeroll, “and they got scared of little ole’ me.” 

Peebee affected innocence and Sid snorted at the expression.  “Somehow, you don’t strike me as the innocent type.”

“Nah, it’s more fun to get into trouble.”

“I think I like you,” Sid said with glee in her voice.  Peebee grinned and jumped slightly when another turian sat down beside Sid with a curious look in her eyes. 

“Sid, what are you doing?”

“Having food and making conversation.”  Sid’s voice dripped with the _duh_ she was withholding and she picked apart a piece of meat with her claws as she steadfastly avoided the other turian’s eyes.  “I’m not up to anything nefarious, Vetra.”

“Yet,” she muttered, lightly shoving Sid’s shoulder.  They devolved into playfully shoving each other while Peebee mechanically ate and watched until her plate was clean. 

“Well, this has been fun, buuut…I have things to do.  Places to go, remtech to tinker with, you know.” 

Sid looked up at her and flailed when Vetra’s hand shoved her face, causing her to nearly fall off her seat.  She tipped the chair over and laughed as Vetra landed on her back, blinking in confusion up at the ceiling.  “It was nice to meet you, Peebee.  Come find me sometime, we’ll talk some more.”

“Will do!”  Peebee left the mess and eventually found her way down a long, winding tunnel that broke out into the sunshine that seemed omnipresent on Kadara.  She stared out across the wide valley floor the cave entrance overlooked at the small herd of adhi that were stalking something through the sparse grass.  Wind turbines spun merrily on the steppe across the valley, attended to by people that resembled ants from the distance, and some winged creature called out loudly overhead.  She sighed as she spied the top of a Monolith behind a steep hill and leaned against the rock at her back. She let her thoughts wander aimlessly and the breeze washed over her, bringing with it the sharp scent of sulfur that was omnipresent on the planet.  “There must be _something…_ but what…how could I get to – hmm…”

“Going somewhere?”

“Fucking for real?!”  Peebee barely managed to keep from tipping over in surprise and pressed her palm flat against her chest, over her racing heart.  She glared at Salem, who stood silently behind her with an inscrutable expression on her face.  “Is there a bell somewhere I can tie around your wrist?  ‘Cause that is going to get old _really_ fast.”

“Maybe you should pay more attention.  Are you leaving?”

“Would you let me?”

“Where would you go?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“That’s why I’m asking.”  Salem’s eyes narrowed when Peebee backed up a step and her hand wandered to the sidearm strapped to her thigh.  “What are you doing, Peebee?”

“Can’t a girl want to take in the sights and just think for a while?”

“Most of us don’t have that luxury of excess time,” Salem said bluntly. 

Peebee sighed and her shoulders dropped.  “I was…it’s nothing, okay?  I’m not leaving – not that you would let me, I think – I was just thinking.”

“What about?”

“Why do you care?  I thought you had some colony to tend to, why are you so concerned with me,” Peebee shot back defensively. 

Salem let out a breath and barely relaxed her rigid stance.  “You are…unknown.  That alone is cause for your steps to be shadowed, but the truth…the truth is, you are fascinating.”

“What?”  Peebee canted her head to the side and took an unconscious half-step back. 

“The way you carry yourself, your…lackadaisical attitude, the way you didn’t bend even after my men captured you, how you continue to act so self-assured, even in unfamiliar territory…it’s fascinating.”

“I can’t do anything about myself,” Peebee said.  Her eyes, vibrantly green against the black across her face, flickered with uncertainty and jumped between Salem’s face and the rock wall at her back. 

“That’s not what I mean.  You can’t change who you are any more than those animals could change their nature.  I am just…fascinated.”

“As you’ve said.”  Peebee smirked and caught her arm behind her back with her opposite hand.  “I know I’m _fascinating_ , but there are other adjectives that I like even more.” 

Salem’s eyes flickered with some emotion Peebee couldn’t quite pin down, then her pale blue eyes turned away as someone called to her.  Peebee watched the massive krogan bear down on Salem and dwarf her simply by standing back several feet, his bulk easily shadowing her slight frame.  “Ryder.”  His deep voice seemed to originate somewhere in his feet and his reptilian eyes stopped on Peebee briefly before returning to Salem.  “There’s a problem.”

“There’s always a problem, Drack.”

“Yeah, but this is a _Problem_ problem.” 

Salem scrubbed a palm across her face.  “What is it?”

“You’d better come see for yourself.”

“Lead the way.” 

They walked off without another word and Peebee waffled for a second before following in their footsteps.  She watched in curiosity as the people they passed in the wide tunnel either dipped their heads respectfully or scurried out of the way and refused eye contact; the dichotomy was confusing to her after seeing the way Salem behaved.  Her aloof and formal manner was hardly a reason for the sometimes fearful responses she saw.  Further musing was cut off as they entered the main chamber and Drack’s steps lengthened.  They hurried to the building Peebee first saw Salem in, what she dubbed the ‘Throne Room’ in her mind, and she slipped through the closing door as they bustled in. 

Her jaw dropped as she took in the chaotic scene.  A handful of people were struggling with the guards, their ragged clothing and wild eyes at odds with the matching uniforms Salem’s people wore and their grim expressions.  Drack huffed and rolled his shoulders, ready to brawl until Salem set her hand on his forearm silently.  He backed off immediately – another tally in the ‘weird’ column that the human seemed to be filling rapidly – and Peebee watched Salem ascend the steps to her chair.  She turned and pale eyes stopped on Peebee long enough for her to realize she had known she was following them, then slipped over to the melee at the foot of the dais. 

“ _Enough_.”  Her voice carried through the room and startled everyone into momentary stillness.  The guards recovered first and restrained the other people with grunts of exertion. 

A human slipped away after kicking a guard in the balls and was halfway up the stairs when another gave chase.  “Death to the Betrayer!  Kelly will have your head, Usurper!” 

Peebee stretched out her hand to throw a singularity at the crazed zealot but froze when Salem stepped _into_ his path with a placid expression on her face.  A manic grin spread across his face and his hands reached out toward her throat when she lifted a hand and _threw_ him backwards with a wave of biotic energy.  He cried out in surprise, then hit the wall and slid down to lay in a dazed heap on the floor.  The guards converged on him and roughly pulled him to his feet, slapping cuffs around his wrists and pushing him to his knees next to the others. 

Peebee blinked in amazement as Salem folded her arms behind her back and stood at attention atop the dais, every inch the confident leader.  “Explain.” 

Drack chuckled darkly and smiled toothily.  “We caught them attempting to sabotage the wind turbines.”

“Those wind turbines power Kadara Port; we only take enough to power the-”

Salem broke off with a sharp inhale and her eyes narrowed.  One of the prisoners, a heavily plated turian with shallow marks across his mandibles, broke in.  “Kelly told us to shut you down; she would pay whoever managed to bring you to your knees.”  His eyes shifted nervously even though he stayed perfectly still on the floor. 

Salem stepped off the dais and paused in front of him.  Her small boot knife suddenly appeared in her hand and she idly twirled it around her fingers as she spoke to him.  “What else did she tell you?” 

His breathing increased and his gaze never left the flashing metal in her hands, so close to his vulnerable eye socket and throat that he was forced to bare to meet her hard gaze.  “She…she told us-”

“Shut up, you moron!”  The human who had charged Salem snapped, teeth bared in a snarl.  “Don’t tell the bitch anything!” 

Peebee barely caught the hummed tune as Salem switched targets and seemed to caress the human’s face before grabbing a handful of his hair and yanking his head back harshly.  Her eyes flicked over to Drack, who was watching Salem with a hungry gleam in his eyes and shuffling excitedly in place.  “You think you have any power here?”  Salem’s voice was almost conversational but for the gentle kiss of the blade against the human’s cheek.  The tip of it brushed along his jaw and over the edge of his ear.  “You think you can come into my territory and-”

“Sloane Kelly will have your head on a pike outside the Port before the month’s out,” he interrupted. 

The knife paused its meandering path across his skin and backtracked to his ear, and Peebee barely caught the moment the honed edge bit into skin and severed the top of his ear with barely any effort.  His screams echoed off the walls as blood flowed down his neck into the collar of his shirt and a guard stepped forward to muffle the sound with his hand.  The entire hall seemed to hold its breath, anticipating something Peebee wasn’t aware of as she patiently waited for his pained moans to die into quiet whimpers. 

“Let’s try again.”  Peebee shivered at the cold, implacable tone as Salem bent over the man.  “Without any interruptions, hm?  Wouldn’t want you to lose any more pieces of yourself, would we?”  He glared up at her through watery eyes and Salem tipped his head back with her hand pressed beneath his chin, fingers digging into his throat.  The guard removed his hand and a bloody wad of spit immediately landed on Salem’s cheek.  There was a sharp gasp from someone in the hall and Peebee felt the energy in the room spike as blue flared up and down Salem’s arm. 

The man was lifted effortlessly into the air with her biotics, flailing uselessly against the invisible hold on his body.  “The thing is,” Salem said quietly, “I don’t necessarily _need_ you.  There are three others, in fact, that I could turn to for answers.  So, if you don’t feel helpful…” 

She paused and stared up at him, suspended in midair with his bound hands pressed against his ear and a hateful gleam in his eyes.  “Go to Hell, bitch,” he growled. 

Salem pursed her lips thoughtfully and nodded.  Her head turned toward Drack, who grinned and approached.  “Warlord.”

“The South Wall.  The view is quite spectacular from there.” 

Drack plucked the human out of the air and threw him effortlessly over his shoulder to carry him, head bouncing off his back with every step.  The guards rounded up the other prisoners and they shuffled out the door, following Drack’s footsteps.  Salem stopped partway across the hall and met Peebee’s wide eyes with a blank face, then jerked her head in silent request for her to follow.  Peebee trailed behind the entourage that seemed to draw a crowd as they paraded through the cavern, down a corridor Peebee hadn’t yet explored.  They ended up on a wide plateau that was in full view of the cloudless sky and overlooked a deep ravine.  People filled the space behind Peebee as she drew closer to the edge and the prisoners, with more filing in as a quiet murmur rose and ebbed on the air. 

Salem stepped out between the two groups and raised her hand for quiet.  “These prisoners have been brought forth on charges of sabotage and malicious intent.”  The murmur rose to a dull roar that was quelled with another raised hand.  “They stand here, ready to be judged, their wrongs brought to light and punishment meted out fairly. 

“The first,” the turian was yanked to his feet and brought forth.  He stood before her, legs faintly trembling and mandibles flaring with nerves.  “You are charged with sabotage and malicious intent, what do you have to say?”

“I’m just trying to keep my family safe!  Please, Warlord, Sloane has them in her ‘services,’ she said she’ll kill them if I don’t-” He broke off as someone threw a wrench at his back and stumbled forward. 

The guards righted him and Salem nodded once.  “The second.” 

A tall human woman was brought forth and made to kneel.  She was breathing quickly and her hands shook as Salem asked the same question.  “I don’t – I don’t have an excuse.  I didn’t think it would go this far, though, I just thought…I thought it would pay my way.  That’s all, I just wanted to live comfortably, and this seemed the best way to go on Kadara.” 

Salem nodded again and the third, an asari, was brought forward.  She tipped her chin confidently up and grunted when her leg was kicked out but refused to kneel.  “I won’t make excuses.  I joined Sloane knowing how she operated, I joined this crew knowing what we were setting out to do, and I’ll accept whatever punishment you deem fit.” 

Salem searched her eyes for a long moment, then nodded again and the human man was dumped unceremoniously at her feet by Drack, who hovered menacingly behind him.  He slowly righted himself and stared defiantly up at Salem.  “The last.”  Peebee barely caught the muttered words that were torn away on the breeze and Salem stared down at him silently for several seconds.  “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Sloane Kelly will win this war of attrition, Ryder.  She will mount your head next to the Kett as a reminder that none can stand in the way of the Outcasts!  No power can stand up to her, none will escape her grasp!”  Salem turned away as he continued to rant and Drack picked up the man and dragged him by the leg to the cliff’s edge. 

Peebee edged closer, unhindered by the guards that ringed the prisoners and Salem, and watched as Drack dangled him over the abyss.  The man shut his mouth when he realized the precarious position he was in and his bound hands scrabbled at Drack’s arm fruitlessly.  “I – I don’t – what are you doing?!  Pull me back; you can’t do this!” 

Salem walked up next to Drack and stared at the man.  Her voice carried powerfully over the gathered crowd, filled with authority and resolution.  “You are accused of the crimes of sabotage and malicious intent; you are deemed guilty and sentenced to death.”

“You can’t – stop, damn you, _damn you_ , I won’t go-” 

Salem nodded at Drack and Peebee watched in horrified fascination as the krogan loosened his grip on the man’s ankle.  The crowd behind them seemed to hold their collective breath and lean in as the man’s voice raised in pitch and his fingers scrabbled uselessly at Drack’s arm.  As Drack completely let go and the man disappeared from sight, screaming, Peebee faintly heard Salem mutter, “That’s that.”  She turned on her heel and walked through the silent throng that parted wordlessly for her, leaving a wide berth between the Warlord and themselves. 


	3. Actions and Reactions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise update! We're moving into day 79 of this bullshit at work. I've still had five days off, and am currently waiting for my wireless earbuds to charge so I can go and work my other job for the afternoon. Figured you guys would appreciate some more reading, so here you go!

_Peebee edged closer, unhindered by the guards that ringed the prisoners and Salem, and watched as Drack dangled him over the abyss.  The man shut his mouth when he realized the precarious position he was in and his bound hands scrabbled at Drack’s arm_ _fruitlessly.  “I – I don’t – what are you doing?!  Pull me back; you can’t do this!”_

_Salem walked up next to Drack and stared at the man.  Her voice carried powerfully over the gathered crowd, filled with authority and resolution.  “You are accused of the crimes of sabotage and malicious intent; you are deemed guilty and sentenced to death.”_

_“You can’t – stop, damn you, damn you, I won’t go-”_

_Salem nodded at Drack and Peebee watched in horrified fascination as the krogan slackened his grip on the man’s collar.  The crowd behind them seemed to hold their collective breath and lean in as the man’s voice raised in pitch and his fingers scrabbled uselessly at Drack’s arm.  As Drack completely let go and the man disappeared from sight, screaming, Peebee faintly heard Salem mutter, “That’s that.”  She turned on her heel and walked through the silent throng that parted wordlessly for her, leaving a wide berth between the Warlord and themselves._

As she disappeared from sight, a wet thud echoed from the depths of the ravine, and bile rose in Peebee’s throat.  The crowd seemed reanimated by the sound and they cheered, hooting and jeering at the other prisoners who were making terrified faces at the edge of the cliff.  The guards jerked them to their feet and, instead of leading them to the edge, they were frog-marched back inside.  Peebee hurried after them and watched as they were herded into a small cell near to the one she had initially been shoved into.  She left the cells in search of Salem, following the press of people into the main cavern.  The Warlord was standing atop a small platform and addressing the crowd. 

“…will venture into the Badlands with a small party.  I will take a look at the wind turbines on the ridge and, with a little luck, there won’t be any damage done.  In the meantime, continue work as it has been; there’s no need to deviate from your planned day.” 

Salem waved off the assemblage and people began chattering to each other as they slowly moved away.  Peebee hovered uncertainly on the fringe, watching as Drack and Vetra walked up to Salem and they began conferring in low voices.  She jumped when she heard, “She’s great, isn’t she?”  Twisting awkwardly on her heel and nearly tripping, Peebee relaxed when Sid caught her arm and hauled her upright.  “Kind of jumpy, aren’t you?”

“People have a bad tendency to sneak up on me, today,” Peebee said wryly. 

Sid chuckled and her eyes danced with humor.  “Maybe you should listen better.”

“So I’ve heard.”  Peebee tipped her head at Sid curiously.  “What were you saying before?”

“Oh, the Warlord, she’s great, right?  She’s such a good speaker, and she always tries to make the right decision for everyone here.  She protects us, and takes care of those who try and harm the colony.” 

She gestured back at the tunnel that led to the cliff and Peebee swallowed against the saliva that filled her mouth.  “What _was_ that?”

“Judgment,” Sid said simply. 

“It’s ruthless, did he really deserve to die?” 

Sid’s mandibles flared.  “You don’t…I forget, not everyone was here at the beginning.”  She set her hand on Peebee’s shoulder and led her toward a partially finished construction, gesturing for her to sit on an upturned bucket.  She sat on the ground in front of Peebee and dragged a claw through the silt on the ground.  “When we fled Kadara Port, we were dogged by Sloane’s people.  They picked us off at will until we were well into the Badlands, then they must have figured the local animals would do the rest of the work.  They weren’t wrong; our numbers had been about halved by the time we got away, and of those hundred or so left, half of that number was injured in some manner.  We didn’t have much by way of weapons, no food, the water is unpalatable unless it’s been filtered…by all accounts, we should have died out here.” 

Sid’s gaze was far away as she scratched nonsensical patterns into the dirt.  “But Ryder…she stepped up.  She was part of the Second Revolt on the Nexus…the head of it, actually.  And when we got to Kadara, she was at the front of the team that helped to get rid of the Kett.  But when Sloane took over, _usurped_ power, she…”  Sid growled, fingers twitching in her lap.  “She fought dirty.  She tricked Ryder out on her own, then tried to kill her.  Ryder managed to get us out and to safety, but it was touch and go after that.  When we finally found this place, she was badly injured, but she refused to stop until everyone was in and being taken care of by the few medical personnel that came with us.  She insisted she was fine, and probably would have gone back out into the Badlands if it weren’t for my sister and Drack.  They kept her from heading out. 

“Good thing, too.”  Sid snorted and looked up at Peebee with eyes full of passion and frustration.  “She passed out in the middle of the cave.  We thought she was dead, she _should have_ been.  Doctor T’Perro was amazed she managed to go as long as she did.  We practically had to tie her down to keep her in bed long enough for her wounds to begin to close up.  She still should be careful, but she insists on personally taking care of anything major that happens here. 

“So, yeah, he deserved it.  He deserved worse, but Ryder is merciful, in a way.  She could have made him drink the water, unfiltered, or let the adhi have him.  At the beginning, those were a couple choices for sentencing.  This seems…”

“More humane.”

“Yeah.” 

They lapsed into silence, Peebee staring into the distance as she absorbed everything Sid told her, and shook herself out of her reverie when she heard steps approaching them.  Drack, Vetra, and Salem were walking their way, Drack sporting an unambiguously smug grin while Vetra shot put out glances at them both. 

Vetra set her hand on Sid’s shoulder.  “Are you telling stories again?”

“Just informing our new arrival about some things.” 

They shared a look and Vetra helped Sid to her feet.  “Alright, well, Ryder has decided that I’m to stay here and keep watch over things while she and Drack go check out the damage to the wind turbines.”

“Don’t get your mandibles bent out of shape, Nyx, you’ll have your chance to shoot some scavs later.”  Drack laughed loudly and clapped Vetra on the back, nearly sending her sprawling. 

Salem stared down at Peebee, pale blue eyes swimming with some emotion she couldn’t define.  “Do you have a weapon?”

“I _am_ a weapon,” Peebee scoffed.  “Speaking of, nice biotics back there.”  Peebee was amazed to watch a faint flush overtake Salem’s cheeks and she smirked.  “Why do you ask?”

“I want someone else to come with us to the ridgeline, and you seemed a good choice.”

“She’s untested!”  Vetra broke in, Sid’s hand subtly restraining her on her arm.  “She hasn’t proven herself here.”

“So this will be it.”  Salem squarely met Peebee’s eyes.  “What do you say?” 

Peebee hesitated for a moment, recalling the calm detachment as she passed judgment and watched Drack drop the man over the edge of the cliff, but nodded after a second.  “Let’s go.” 

They stopped in a well guarded building for a pistol for Peebee, then walked out of the cave and started down the narrow trail that led to the valley floor.  There was no sound but their breathing and the scuff of their feet over the stones and sparse grass until they were nearly on level ground.  Drack’s gravelly drawl broke the silence.  “So, what’s your story, kid?”

“Hmm?”

“Why’d you come _here_ , of all places?  Kadara ain’t exactly for the faint of heart.” 

Peebee shot a glance over her shoulder.  “I wanted an adventure.”

“It’s Andromeda, the entire _galaxy_ is an adventure.”

“True, but there’s so much about this place that’s still _wild_ , you know?  It isn’t truly settled like Eos or even Elaaden; there isn’t really all that much known about it.  Plus, the Vaults and remtech are so _close_.”  She gestured at the top of the Vault just visible over the ridge.  “It’s, like, half a day’s walk from here.  I was almost there before I was caught.”  Her tone was wistful as she spoke and she caught Salem’s faintly curious gaze before the human turned her head and led them further across the valley floor.  “What about you, old man?”

“I didn’t like how the Initiative heads were treating us krogan.  We’re more than glorified attack dogs,” he said gruffly. 

Peebee snorted in agreement.  “So, what?  You just left?”

“Yep.  Gathered my clan when Ryder started the Second Revolt and followed her out here.”  Drack gestured at the mountains towering over them.  “Best place we could have gone, if you ask me.”

“Quiet, there’s something up ahead.”  Salem suddenly disappeared from sight as her cloaking activated and, aside from the faint rustle of the grasses, they had no idea where she went. 

Drack dragged Peebee down behind an outcropping of massive boulders jutting out of the ground and put a finger to his mouth.  “Keep your voice down,” he rumbled. 

“What for?”

“Warlord doesn’t cloak unless there’s scavs…or Outcast scum.  Just keep your ears open, kid.”

“What am I listening for?” 

A gunshot echoed around them, followed by a scream that was eerily cut off in the middle. 

“That,” Drack said simply.  He ran out from behind their cover and pulled his shotgun off his shoulder holster, followed by Peebee who had her pistol in her grip. 

They followed the sounds of battle and came upon a scene that filled Peebee with equal parts awe and horror.  Dead Outcast members were littered around a couple vehicles, and Salem was brawling with the remainder, twisting around them in a deadly and, frankly, beautifully sinuous dance.  Her fists flashed out as she hit one in the jaw and sent him reeling, then she spun on her heel and shot another in the side. 

Drack roared and charged in, bearing another to the ground as his shotgun whipped around and hit the hapless person about the head.  Peebee squeaked when a bullet whizzed by her face and automatically returned fire, wincing as someone cried out in pain.  She ducked behind the wheel of a vehicle and took careful aim around the edge of it, shooting at another Outcast member before letting her biotics flow through her and throwing a ball of energy at the closest one.  They went flying and Salem used her biotics to rip them apart in a shower of gore.  Peebee swallowed back bile and focused on the people shooting at her, alternately returning fire and using her biotics to pull them closer and shoot them or send them reeling when a wave of energy tripped their feet. 

Drack ran through the melee, using his shotgun as a blunt instrument as often as he fired it, and laughed in glee when someone tried to penetrate his thick armor with a homemade blade.  He ripped the blade from their grasp and bent it in half, then grabbed the person and threw them bodily over his head, letting them fall to the ground in a tangle of limbs.  Peebee crept from cover as the last gunshot echoed across the valley floor and slowly made her way toward Salem, who stood motionless amongst the carnage with her head turned toward the wind turbines on the ridge before them. 

“Nice shooting, Ryder,” Drack said behind Peebee.  He walked past them both as he holstered his shotgun and gestured at the turbines.  “They were probably going after the parts.  Good thing we caught them.” 

Salem hummed noncommittally and put her sidearm away.  Peebee hesitantly holstered her own weapon and fell into step behind them.  She glanced up at the ridgeline curiously and her gaze was caught by the glint of metal nearby.  She stopped and squinted at it, confused because there was nothing there but an outcropping of stone.  A sense of dread filled her and she glanced ahead at Salem and Drack who were conversing quietly.  She broke into a gentle jog like she was playing catch up and glanced up again at the metallic object.  A bird called overhead and she broke into a sprint, heart pounding in her chest as she raced to reach Salem.  She turned on her heel when she heard Peebee’s fast steps and had barely managed to open her mouth when Peebee tackled her bodily and the crack of a rifle followed immediately.  Peebee felt something whiz past her head and heat seared her crests as she landed atop Salem and covered her body, adrenaline causing her to tremble and her fingers to dance along Salem’s sides. 

Drack roared in outrage and took off, heavy steps thudding more faintly with every stride, but Peebee didn’t dare lift her head to check.  She listened to his irate roar a minute later, his cursing clear even a distance away, and cautiously lifted her head.  Drack was standing where she had seen the glint of metal, beating on his chest and rumbling threateningly but not moving otherwise.  She turned her gaze down and realized just how close she was pressed to Salem, whose wide eyes never left her face.  Her hands were planted on either side of Salem’s head while the human’s fingers were squeezing her thighs and Peebee realized she was straddling her hips.  She sat up quickly and a nausea inducing sense of vertigo filled her. 

Salem’s hands rose to her waist to steady her as she sat up using her core muscles and she wrapped an arm around Peebee’s waist.  “You’re bleeding.” 

Peebee lifted her hand to her head where something warm was dripping down her face and her palm came away stained with her own blood.  “Oh.”

“We need to get back.  Drack!” 

Peebee winced at Salem’s loud call and tried to get out of her lap but found any movement arrested by Salem’s iron grip and the dizziness that began to wash over her.  Her hands shook when she rested them on Salem’s forearms and she looked up through unfocused eyes when Drack reappeared with a sack slung over his shoulder.  “Piece of varren shit ran off like a fucking cowa – _shit_.  What happened?”

“What do you think?”  Salem eased Peebee off her lap and stood up, then Drack let the sack fall at his feet and leaned over to pluck her off the ground like she weighed nothing.  Peebee struggled to get out of his arms but, when she felt another wave of nauseous dizziness wash over her, laid limply against his chest and shut her eyes.  She could just hear his heart beneath his armor, and his shoulder was in the perfect spot for her head to loll back into.  She was rocked as they began walking and she started to drift off, only to catch her name. 

“…ll asleep.  Peebee, dammit, answer me!”

“Nnggh, g’way, Ryd’r.  ‘m tired.” 

She heard Salem’s faintly worried voice near her head and something brushed against her back.  “I know, but you can’t fall asleep.  Tell me about the Remnant.”

“Mmmm, shiny.  An’ _really_ laser ha-happy.”

“Which one’s your favorite?”

“Wanna take ap’rt ‘n ‘bserver.”

“Okay.  Okay.  Drack, we need to hurry.”

“I know, Ryder, but can you keep up?”

“Watch me.” 

The rocking motion increased and Peebee felt herself slipping away, eyes falling shut as Drack and Salem’s steady breaths filled her ears and the pulsing in her head got stronger, and she knew no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm.....surprise? Asari not sorry, just pretend you're Cliff, dangling from the ledge by your fingertips...or the hapless idiot who was thrown off the cliff by Drack. Til next time!


	4. Terms of Release

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I am still here, I promise. Work is still a bear - i.e. I'm working full time on a farm, roughly ten hours a week at a vineyard, and roughly twenty hours a week on a house remodel - I'm making it work though, but it is making writing very difficult recently. I will definitely continue this story, don't worry about that, updates will simply continue to be sporadic. So, here you go!

“Which one’s your favorite?”

“Wanna take ap’rt ‘n ‘bserver.”

“Okay.  Okay.  Drack, we need to hurry.”

“I know, Ryder, but can you keep up?”

“Watch me.” 

The rocking motion increased and Peebee felt herself slipping away, eyes falling shut as Drack and Salem’s steady breaths filled her ears and the pulsing in her head got stronger, and she knew no more.

~~~~~~

Peebee felt something soft under her and her fingertips scratched against something smooth.  She inhaled deeply and blinked open her eyes, staring at the metal shell overhead and the lights that lined the walls.  Her head pounded with an ache that felt bone deep and she lifted her hand to the spot where it was worst.  Her palm met fabric and the events from before came rushing back to her.  “Ryder,” she breathed out.  She tried to sit up and nearly fell on her face when her arms wobbled. 

“I wouldn’t do that,” a smooth voice cautioned.  Peebee fell back with a sigh.  An asari appeared in her view with round features and a pert nose beneath serious eyes.  She opened up a tab on her omni tool and hummed as she ran it over Peebee.  “How do you feel, Miss B’Sayle?” 

Peebee’s eye twitched and her lip curled into a sneer.  “How do you know my name?” 

“Medical records from the Nexus are available to all emergency personnel.  You suffered a gunshot graze to the head.  It didn’t do much damage, thankfully, but you will have a rather impressive scar.  Follow my finger.” 

Peebee’s eyes tracked the digit in front of her face and she entertained the idea of nipping it when it got close to her mouth.  She reluctantly let the finger pull away unmolested and quirked a smile.  “So, can I go now, Doc?”

“Hmm, I would prefer to keep you under observation for another twelve hours-” Peebee groaned and the doctor snorted.  “ _But_ , if there’s someone who will look after you for that length of time, I suppose I would feel comfortable letting you leave the med bay.” 

As if on cue, the door opened and Salem walked in with a pensive expression on her face.  “Lexi, how’s sh – you’re awake!”  Her pale blue eyes warmed marginally and Peebee was struck by the way her face seemed to soften and light up as a dimple appeared when her lips barely tipped up. 

“Ah, yes, Warlord-”

“Please, Lexi, don’t call me that.”

“I…yes, sorry.  She will be fine with some rest, and she seems determined to not stay here longer than necessary.”

“ _She_ is laying right here,” Peebee grumped from the bed. 

Lexi’s lips twisted in a wry smile.  “As you say, Miss B’Sayle.”

“Ugh!” 

Lexi’s eyes danced victoriously as she addressed Salem again.  “I want her to be monitored for the next twelve hours.  I’m not necessarily worried, but head wounds are…contrary at the best of times.  The medi-gel should do all the work, but the bandages need to be changed a couple times until then.”

“She can come back to mine, she’s already staying there, and it _is_ …zero dark thirty.”  Salem huffed tiredly and Lexi nodded. 

“Okay.  But straight to bed, alright?  No funny business, no getting out for anything but the bathroom.”  She addressed the last to Peebee sternly, eyes serious and lips thin.  Peebee gave a mock salute and sat up eagerly, aided by Salem’s arm around her shoulders.  She wobbled on her feet but got her bearings and took a shuffling step toward the door. 

Salem watched her walk away and turned to Lexi with a thankful smile in her eyes.  “Thank you for taking care of her, Lexi, truly.”

“Of course.  Salem…are you not sleeping again?” 

Lexi’s finger brushed the dark shadows beneath her eyes and Salem let them fall shut, leaning into the touch briefly.  “It’s nothing,” she said quietly. 

Lexi frowned and curled her fingers under her chin, drawing her gaze up.  “It isn’t nothing.  You need to take of yourself as much as you have us.  Just because this colony is in its fledgling stages doesn’t mean we are incapable of-”

“I know.  It’s just…”  Salem sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.  “I can’t rest until this whole business with Sloane and everyone else is finished.”

“You can’t keep going like you have been, either.  Promise you’ll at least _try_ to sleep tonight.”

“I will, Doctor.”  A smile ghosted across Salem’s face as she laid her hand on Lexi’s shoulder and squeezed it.  “You need to sleep, too.  With any luck, you won’t have any visitors until morning.”

“I’ll need more than luck,” Lexi teased.  She pushed Salem toward the door and waved her off when she turned back.  “Go to bed, Salem.”

“Is that an order?”

“Yes.”

“Affirmative, ma’am.” 

Salem sketched a salute as Lexi laughed quietly and walked down the steps where Peebee was leaning against the railing, cradling her head in her hands.  She looked up through her fingers and smirked weakly.  “Getting some goodnight kisses from Doc?  I mean, she’s a little too stiff and stern for me, but if that’s your thing…” 

Salem guided Peebee across the silent cavern with a hand at the small of her back and felt the maiden relax as their shared quarters came into sight.  “She’s a friend.  We’ve been through a lot together.” 

Peebee snorted, a retort on the tip of her tongue, but it died as she spied the faraway look in Salem’s eyes.  “Yeah, alright.”  She let Salem lead her to her bed and fell gracelessly into it as the woman set to pulling the blanket out from under her and tucked her in.  “Going to read me a bedtime story, too, mom?”

“Get some sleep, _Miss B’Sayle._ ”

“Ugh, _fine_ , no need to be mean about it.”  Peebee rolled away from Salem and shut her eyes.  She heard quiet shuffling, then the bed dipped at her side and Salem’s voice washed over her. 

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Saving me.”  Peebee stiffened when she felt Salem’s hand ghost across the bandage that covered the side of her head.  “You didn’t have to…”

“I wasn’t just going to let them _shoot_ you.”

“You still…I appreciate it.  And…I apologize for my behavior toward you, before.”

“You were right,” Peebee said softly, “I _am_ new here, and I didn’t exactly come in quietly.  I understand.”  She turned her head back toward Salem.  “Don’t look so dour, Ryder.  You’ll wrinkle that pretty face.”  She reveled in the look of shock that crossed Salem’s face and settled back into the bed.  “Shut the light off, some of us are trying to sleep.”  She heard Salem snort and her weight left the bed, then darkness flooded their quarters.  Peebee listened as Salem laid in her bed, dropping off to the sound of restless rustling.

~~~~~~

Peebee wandered slowly into the cavern late the next morning, eager for food and to get Lexi to – hopefully – give her the all-clear.  When she had awoken earlier, Salem’s bed was long cold, the sheets tucked neatly in as always, and her boots gone from beside the door.  Peebee slipped her boots on but left them untied in favor of getting to the med bay, where she knocked on the frame of the door to get the doctor’s attention. 

“Ah, Miss B’Sa-”

“Peebee.”

“Ah, of course.  Peebee, I’m glad to see you up and about.  How do you feel?”

“Fine, I’m fine.  Can you take this off now?”

“No headaches, dizziness, double vision?”  Lexi approached Peebee and shone a small pen light into her eyes that Peebee batted away. 

“Just a little headache, it’s nothing.  Please?”

Lexi sighed and stared sternly at her for a moment.  “You’ll just go and do your own thing even if I tell you not to.”  She frowned in disapproval as Peebee nodded vigorously.  “So I’ll check the wound and let you go on your way.  _On the condition_ ,” she said over Peebee’s agonized groan, “that you stay with someone for the rest of the day.  Agreed?”

“Fine, yes!  Get this off me!” 

Peebee excitedly sat on a chair while Lexi carefully took off the bandage and looked at the quickly scabbing wound.  “The medi-gel has done its job…no signs of infection, no rawness, no undue tenderness,” she murmured as she pressed gently around the edges of the wound.  “No spotting on the bandages, either.  Alright, you’re good to go…Peebee.  But remember to take it easy and stay _with_ someone for the rest of the day!  That means no wandering off!” 

Peebee hopped up and waved at Lexi as she bolted out the door.  She ran to the mess hall and took a plate from the harried looking cook, barely taking the time to chew as she emptied her plate.  She caught a glimpse of a familiar bony head on her way out of the mess hall and bound over to Sid, throwing an arm around her waist when she stopped.  “Hiya, didja miss me?” 

Sid chuckled, then her eyes widened when she saw the wound.  “Spirits, what happened?”  She manipulated Peebee’s head to peer more closely at the scabbing wound.  “Who did this?”

“It’s nothing, it’s fine,” Peebee insisted.  “Doc says I have to stick with someone, so guess who the lucky bitch is today?” 

Sid’s mandibles flared as she held Peebee’s head between her hands and stared down at her.  “ _What happened._ ”

“Ugh…it was just a graze, _c’mon._ ”  Sid only tightened her grip and a sub-vocal growl floated between them.  “Someone tried to shoot Ryder and I might have tackled her to keep her safe it’s nothing can we go now okay good.”  Peebee pulled ineffectively on Sid’s arms and pouted up at her when she didn’t let go.

Sid silently pulled her into a shadowy alcove off the tunnel and pinned her to the wall with a heated look.  “I don’t know what kind of joke you think-”

“It’s not a joke!  Look, someone tried to shoot Ryder, okay?  I tackled her, Drack chased them off, and we came back.  I’m _fine_ , I just have a little headache today.  Can we _please_ go _now?_ ”  Sid stared at her for another moment, then sighed and backed up. 

They spent the rest of the afternoon floating from one construction site to another as Sid took notes on her omni tool about supplies that were needed, and later that evening, she dropped Peebee back at the quarters she shared with Salem.  “I’m glad you’re alright, Peebee,” she said seriously.  “I know…it hasn’t been long, but you’re important to me.  I don’t like…this.” 

A claw brushed against the edge of the scab and Peebee danced back.  “It’s not the first time I’ve been shot at, and I seriously doubt it’ll be the last.  It all turned out, didn’t it?” 

Sid hummed.  “It may not next time.”

“Can’t do anything about it until then, can I?  There’s no point thinking about tomorrows, just live for _now_.”  Peebee grinned when Sid sighed and hugged her.  “See you tomorrow?”

“With any luck,” Sid groused. 

Peebee laughed and walked inside, unsurprised to find Salem absent and her side of the room pristine.  “Does she _ever_ sleep?”  Peebee entertained herself for a few minutes with a book before she grew bored and twisted her mouth in thought. 

“I have an idea.”

~~~~~~

Peebee jerked herself awake when her heard steps outside the door, holding her breath until she heard the door open and the nearly silent tread as Salem entered their quarters.  She heard one thump and then another as she pushed her boots off, then the quiet rustle of fabric hitting the floor near the door.  Peebee pressed the button beside her bed and the small room was flooded with light, startling Salem into utter stillness, half out of her shirt.  Her hands were tangled in the fabric that was caught just beneath her breasts, abdomen fluttering faintly in the stark light. 

Peebee stared unashamedly at the softly defined muscles for a long second, then deliberately dragged her eyes up until she met the human’s wide blue eyes.  “What’s got you coming in so late?  It’s,” she made a show of checking her omni tool and cocked an eyebrow.  “Three in the morning, and I know you were up early tod – yesterday, actually – and I remember you were awake when I feel asleep the night before.  Do you _ever_ sleep?”  She teased Salem as she sat up in her bed, blankets pooled around her waist as her bare toes stretched on the cold floor. 

She watched Salem’s muscles slowly loosen and she dragged her shirt over her head, displaying miles of fit, tan, battle scarred skin to Peebee’s admiring gaze.  She dropped the shirt at her feet and padded over to a set of drawers set into the wall, digging through one for another, older and frayed at the hem and neckline.  As she pulled it over her head, Peebee studied the flexing muscles in her back and her eyes were arrested by a series of scars that crisscrossed her back.  The marks were littered from shoulder to hip and varied in size, and Peebee got to her feet to quietly walk up behind Salem and lay her hand over a cluster of the silvery scars. 

She felt Salem go rigid under her palm and a pale blue eye looked back at her, dilated so the color was nearly swallowed by her pupil.  Peebee noticed, for the first time, the dark shadows beneath her eyes.  “You aren’t sleeping well?”

“I’m fine,” Salem said.  Peebee felt her shift and realized her hand was still resting over the scars on her back.  She yanked her hand away and took a hasty step backwards, turning her head away from the woman as she turned to face her.  “Why are you still up?”

“Like I said, I was wondering where you were.”

“I was attending to some urgent business.”

“In the middle of the night?”  Peebee scoffed and Salem’s face shuttered. 

“The colony doesn’t stop running just because the sun sets.”

“It won’t run at all if you kill yourself working through the night,” Peebee shot back.  Salem shot her a look and walked away.  “Hey, where are you going?”

“Out.”

“It’s-”

“I am _fine_.  I’ve taken care of myself since before we came to Andromeda, I think I can manage a night in a _fucking cave_.”  Salem snapped at Peebee, eyes gleaming with ire, and the maiden took a step back as she spied the ruthless, cold demeanor she had seen the first day in the throne room. 

“Yeah, alright.  Whatever you say.”  She wordlessly got back into bed and turned away from the door, pulling the covers over her shoulder.  She breathed evenly until she heard Salem sigh and fabric moving, then the quiet thump of her boots as she walked out the door, and exhaled shakily as she covered her face with a hand.


	5. Peanut Butter Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, guys. Life is still crazy, I'm still working three jobs and not writing or sleeping enough or doing anything productive besides working, but regardless of whether I pick this back up in a year or only a month, I will finish this! If you guys have anything you want me to address, shoot me a message and I'll get back to you! Until then...
> 
> Read on!

_Peebee scoffed and Salem’s face shuttered.  “The colony doesn’t stop running just because the sun sets.”_

_“It won’t run at all if you kill yourself working through the night,” Peebee shot back.  Salem shot her a look and walked away.  “Hey, where are you going?”_

_“Out.”_

_“It’s-”_

_“I am fine.  I’ve taken care of myself since before we came to Andromeda, I think I can manage a night in a fucking cave.”  Salem snapped at Peebee, eyes gleaming with ire, and the maiden took a step back as she spied the ruthless, cold demeanor she had seen the first day in the throne room._

_“Yeah, alright.  Whatever you say.”  She wordlessly got back into bed and turned away from the door, pulling the covers over her shoulder.  She breathed evenly until she heard Salem sigh and fabric moving, then the quiet thump of her boots as she walked out the door, and exhaled shakily as she covered her face with a hand._

~~~~~~

“Alright, talk to me.” 

Peebee looked up from the meal she had been listlessly picking at, glancing up at Sid for a second before returning her attention to the mashed food on her plate.  “About?”

“I don’t know; you tell me.  You’ve been sitting here sulking-”

“I do not _sulk_.”

“ _Sulking,_ ” Sid insisted vehemently, sitting beside Peebee and slinging an arm around her shoulders.  “You’ve been sulking, Peebee.  And you’ve been doing that for a _week_ now.  Come on, I thought we were friends?”

“We _are_ ; it’s just…I just – I’m _itchy_ , alright?”

“I think the doctor has something for that,” Sid ribbed gently. 

Peebee pushed around her food some more and sighed.  “I’ve been in the same place for a couple weeks now…do you know how long it’s been since that’s happened?”

“Uhm…”

“Fifty years!  Well, technically less than a year, but I don’t count cryo.  I haven’t been this static since…Goddess, since I left home.”  Peebee hung her head lowly and felt Sid rubbing her shoulder.  “I can’t take this whole settling thing, it just…bugs me.  I need to _do_ something!  Find something new, take in the sights!” 

She gestured with her hand and Sid reared back as she almost got backhanded in the face.  She gently took Peebee’s gesticulating hand and laid it flat on the table.  “Alright, you need a distraction.  I’ve got something in mind.”

“How about _someone_?”  Peebee let herself be pulled out of the mess hall and smiled at Sid’s surprised expression.  “What?  Did you think I was some blushing virgin?  Some unsullied, tittering maiden?”  Peebee fluttered her lashes coyly and giggled when Sid’s mandibles twitched.  “I haven’t had a good lay in _months._ ”  She sidled up next to Sid and bumped their hips as she threw a wink at her.  “Maybe you’d like to volunteer?” 

Sid sputtered and stammered, freezing in the middle of the tunnel while Peebee leaned against the wall and laughed uproariously.  “That – not funny!  Not funny at all!”

“I – oh, shit, my sides – I disagree!”  Peebee broke down into a fit of giggles again when she looked up and spied Sid’s somewhat offended and amused expression.  “Calm down, Sid, you’re safe from the wiles of the wicked asari seductress.  I mean, not that you’re not pretty, ‘cause you are, but…turians aren’t really my shtick.  Too many bony edges, and I’m too pretty to bruise.”  Peebee grinned when Sid snorted and rolled her eyes and let her drag her farther down the tunnel. 

They walked until sunlight pooled on the ground from a natural skylight in the otherwise dim cave.  The space they were in was cluttered with tables and shelves, partitioned by the sheer amount of stuff that was somewhat haphazardly scattered about.  Sid led Peebee past tables of food rations, crates stacked to the ceiling, and gestured grandly once they rounded a corner of precariously stacked books. 

“Your distraction.” 

Sitting atop several tables that had been shoved together were mechanical parts and bits of Remnant technology, most of them littered with bullet holes or otherwise damaged.  Peebee squeaked excitedly and nearly knocked Sid over in her haste to look closer, immediately losing herself as she mentally catalogued the myriad pieces and leftover wires. 

“So…you like it?” 

Peebee grinned at Sid, teeth flashing in the sunlight that flooded over the space, and vaulted over the table.  She tackled Sid into a hug and danced in place while the turian laughed and patted her on the back.  “This is _awesome!_   I can’t believe – there’s just – _shit_ , there’s _so much to play with_.”  She was back behind the table and muttering to herself before Sid could catch her and she shook her head as she left, listening as Peebee began taking apart some piece of machinery with the tools laid out neatly on the table.

~~~~~~

“Where are you all the time?” 

Peebee looked up from her book at Salem.  The human was leaning against the inset drawers on the opposite wall with a mug in hand and an inquisitive expression half hidden behind a curtain of loose hair.  Peebee scowled and turned her eyes back to the words on the page.  “What do you care?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” 

Peebee scoffed and loudly snapped the book shut.  She became more irritated when Salem didn’t react beyond raising her eyebrow.  “Let’s see, you _imprisoned_ me, _ignored_ me, then, after I _got shot_ and asked _you_ later on why you weren’t sleeping, you yelled at me, stormed out, and started avoiding me.  Doesn’t exactly fill me with warm fuzzies, _Warlord_.” 

Peebee felt a perverse sense of victory when Salem’s calm façade cracked and she winced behind her mug.  She sighed when, a minute later, Salem had yet to make eye contact again and was sipping quietly from her mug while staring at the floor.  “Just…ask the right question.” 

Salem’s eyes, nearly clear beneath the stark lights, flicked up to hers briefly.  Her mouth moved silently and her lower lip disappeared between her teeth.  She licked her lip and flexed her fingers around her mug, tapping a nail against the side.  “What can I do to make it up to you?”  Peebee blinked at her and tipped her head to the side, watching a flush slowly appear on Salem’s skin.  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just didn’t think you’d actually ask the right question.”  Salem shifted on her feet and Peebee picked at a loose thread on the blanket in her lap.  “Well, if you’re serious…”  Salem made an agreeing noise.  “Well then, there are a _few_ things you could do.”

“Name them.” 

Peebee was briefly nonplussed by Salem’s immediate answer and took a moment to realign her thoughts.  “Okay…first, I need peanut butter.”

“Peanut…butter?”

“Yeah!  Great stuff, well, mostly great, except when it gets stuck in my mouth and then it takes _forever_ to get rid of, but…yeah, peanut butter!  Someone is bound to have brought some of the stuff with them, because…priorities, you know?”

“Uhm, I…Vetra should be able to help with that.” 

Salem blinked slowly and Peebee let a small smile slip onto her lips at the bemused expression.  “Great, next.  Why are – wait, no, what…hm.”  Peebee tapped a finger against her chin as she muttered to herself.  “That should be next…but what if…ah, screw it.”  She scooted to the edge of the bed, curling her fingers around the lip of the mattress.  “What’s your name?”

“What?”

“Your name.  You know, what you’re called when you aren’t being all Warlord-y and stuff.  Your first name.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because everyone calls you Ryder or Warlord, and they all sound like they’re either going to kiss your feet or scream in terror when they do, and I want to hear how your name sounds.”

 A faint smile ticked up on one side of Salem’s lips, revealing the singular dimple again.  “That, that right there!”  Her eyebrow traveled up her forehead as Peebee pointed excitedly at her face.  “That expression, that’s what you look like when you don’t have a hug stick up your ass!”  Salem snorted in response and rearranged her expression to its normal impassivity.  Peebee cocked her head to the side.  “Why _do_ you always act like that?”

“How?”

“Like you can’t relax, like you’ve got some serious, life-or-death stuff on your shoulders.”

“Because I do.”  Peebee opened her mouth to retort and Salem bulled over her words. 

“No, let me finish.  I have a duty to these people, these colonists who’ve put their trust, their _lives_ into my hands.  They followed me off the Nexus, to this world, and then away from the relative comforts of Kadara Port because they believe in me.  They call me leader, _Warlord_ , and look up to me for guidance, try and get close to me, bend my ear…people who get close to me tend to die.”  Salem’s features darkened and her grip tightened on the mug in her hands.  “My mother died in the Milky Way, my father once we woke up…my brother may as well be dead.  I’m the last Ryder in any galaxy and these people have decided that I’m the perfect person to lead them out of a potentially fatal situation, depending on me to keep them safe and give them a reason to keep going, hoping there’s something better here.”

“But you have kept them safe.  From what I can see, you’ve done a pretty damn good job.”

“It’s going well now, yes.”  Salem nodded and stared into the contents of her mug.  “It won’t always, and when things go wrong for me, they tend to do so in a rather spectacular fashion.  My mom was diagnosed soon after I entered Stage Three training, my best friend was killed by some Batarian slaving fuckers in a horrid case of ‘wrong time, wrong place’ the day after my twenty first birthday.  I…” 

She exhaled loudly and set her mug on the counter beside her.  Her hands trembled and Peebee felt a lance of sympathy cut through her as Salem tucked a piece of hair behind her ear in a bid to settle herself.  “I was on the fast track through the ranks of the military.  Promoted quickly because of my quick responses and name, accepted into the N7 program only three years after entering the military…by all accounts, I was the perfect soldier.

“I was seven months into Stage Four when my father was found working on AI.  It ended my career; they said it was a ‘conflict of interests,’ and discharged me.  Didn’t even let me finish the training so I could say I was N4, and I only had two months to go.”  Salem scoffed bitterly.

“I…that’s rough.  I get that AI is…controversial, but…” 

Salem grunted when Peebee’s voice dropped off.  She pushed away from the wall and walked over to the single window, staring into the murky darkness of the cavern.  “Yeah,” she said throatily.  She hiccupped out a sigh that was almost a sob and said stiffly, “That’s the Milky Way.  This was supposed to be a new start, and I find myself in another impossible situation.  So forgive me for not relaxing, but I refuse to put all these lives at risk just because I let myself grow fat and complacent.” 

They dropped into heavy silence, Salem staring blindly into the darkness with her arms crossed and a frown on her face while Peebee played with a piece of the blanket and stared at her rigid profile.  “So, what, you’re just going to work yourself to death?  Not sleep and play shoot-‘em-up with scavengers and other assholes until someone gets in a lucky shot?”

“If that’s what it takes to keep this colony afloat, yes.”

“But what about everything else Andromeda has to offer?  The chance to explore new planets, meet new species!”  Peebee studied Salem’s hard expression and her eyes brightened.  “That’s it!” 

Salem’s eyes cut over to her suspiciously and her head moved slightly in her direction.  “What?”

“Know what your problem is?”

“Enlighten me.” 

Peebee let a smirk slide onto her lips and stood up, putting a little sway into her hips as she closed the distance between them.  “ _You_ , your Warlordiness, have a stick up your ass the size of Drack’s shotgun.”

“What are you-”

“-and I know _just_ how to remove it.”  Peebee stepped boldly into Salem’s personal space, daring her with the glint in her eyes to back away.  “You have an itch, I have an itch…why don’t we scratch them together?”  She ghosted the back of her hand over Salem’s forearm and smiled winningly. 

“I – what?”

“ _Sex_ , Ryder.  You know, the horizontal tango, making whoopee, shagging, aggressive cuddling, _fucking_.  Do you need more examples?  Earth has a lot of interesting euphemisms.”

“Uhm….no – no, I’m…aggressive cuddling?”

“Hey, rough sex can be fun.”  Peebee grinned toothily at the stunned expression on Salem’s face.  She urged the human’s arms out of their defensive position and stepped into the vacant spot before Salem could move, then splayed her hands across her hips.  “So, whataya say, Ryder?”


	6. Proper Scratching Methods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, hi, not dead, promise. My muse has finally returned from an extremely long, unauthorized vacation, and I have begun writing once more! To make up for my long absence, this chapter is...gasp! Is that smut? *peers closely* Why yes, I do believe it is! Who'd a thunk!
> 
> I'll just leave this...right...here.
> 
> Read on!

_Peebee let a smirk slide onto her lips and stood up, putting a little sway into her hips as she closed the distance between them.  “You, your Warlordiness, have a stick up your ass the size of Drack’s shotgun.”_

_“What are you-”_

_“-and I know just how to remove it.”  Peebee stepped boldly into Salem’s personal space, daring her with the glint in her eyes to back away.  “You have an itch, I have an itch…why don’t we scratch them together?”  She ghosted the back of her hand over Salem’s forearm and smiled winningly._

_“I – what?”_

_“Sex, Ryder.  You know, the horizontal tango, making whoopee, shagging, aggressive cuddling, fucking.  Do you need more examples?  Earth has a lot of interesting euphemisms.”_

_“Uhm….no – no, I’m…aggressive cuddling?”_

_“Hey, rough sex can be fun.”  Peebee grinned toothily at the stunned expression on Salem’s face.  She urged the human’s arms out of their defensive position and stepped into the vacant spot before Salem could move, then splayed her hands across her hips.  “So, whataya say, Ryder?”_

~~~~~~

Nerveless fingers slackened around her mug and Peebee barely caught it as it slipped from Salem’s grasp.  “Whoops.”  She giggled coyly as she set the mug aside and let her fingers ghost across Salem’s arm.  She watched the goosebumps race across her skin and lifted her limp hand to study it more closely. 

“You know,” she said quietly, “I always forget that humans have all of this hair on their bodies.  It’s so different.”  She brushed a finger across the fine hairs on her arm. 

Salem inhaled sharply as blunt nails dragged over her skin and pressed the palm of her free hand against Peebee’s shoulder.  “What are you…”

“I told you; I have an itch, you have an itch.”  Peebee looked at Salem intently.  She deliberately ran her hands up to her shoulders and draped her arms over them.  “If you don’t want to…tell me to stop.” 

She slowly closed the distance between them and noticed Salem’s eyes slipping half shut as warm breath washed across her chin.  She tipped her head up and her nose nudged against Peebee’s gently.  They canted their heads to the side and kissed slowly; Salem’s tentative, come-and-go lips enticing and cautioning Peebee all at once.  Callused fingers tripped across her sides and fisted in the hem of her shirt as Salem tipped further into her to deepen the kiss. 

Peebee whined when Salem’s teeth caught and pulled on her lower lip, following the motion helplessly until she had Salem pinned between herself and the counter at her back.  She surged forward and effortlessly lifted Salem onto the counter, barely breaking the kiss to make sure she wasn’t going to sit on anything before she latched onto the corded muscle between her neck and shoulder with her teeth.  Salem gasped and dragged her closer with one hand around her shoulders as the other cradled the back of her head.  Her fingers slipped across her crests and Peebee growled. 

“Keep it up and you won’t be able to touch me at all, Ryder.”

“Salem.” 

Peebee took a moment before she recognized Salem was offering up her name and grinned crookedly.  “I like it.”  Salem’s lips twitched into a smile and her singular dimple played peek-a-boo; remaining as Peebee finally allowed herself to lean in and kiss it forcefully. 

They slowed to a give-and-take kiss that eventually ended when Peebee leaned into Salem’s chest and dusted a kiss across her clavicle.  “Okay, I might have lied…you can’t stop now, ‘cause I’m one touch away from riding your thigh.”  She felt Salem’s breath hitch in her chest and fingers dug into her arms tightly. 

A breathless chuckle burst from Salem’s lips as Peebee played with her shirt and pulled back to look at her.  “Can we just keep this casual?  Like, if you want to see someone, that’s fine with me.  I just – I _really_ want to have some fun with you, with no strings.” 

Salem’s lips twisted into a smirk as she slipped her fingers into the grooves of Peebee’s crests.  “I like that idea.”  She pulled her into another kiss and somehow, they eventually ended up on Salem’s bed. 

Peebee and Salem’s shirts were on the floor along with Salem’s bra, and Peebee was lavishing attention on her breasts as her fingers idly traced the myriad scars on her skin.  Salem leaned back against her pillow, gasping up at the ceiling as teeth teased her nipple.  Peebee hummed contentedly around her mouthful of breast and her hand tripped down fluttering abdominal muscles, slipping into the unbuttoned fly of her pants to palm her sex over her underwear.  She smiled wickedly as she let Salem’s nipple slip out of her mouth with a wet sound and nipped at her fluttering stomach.  She let a faint charge wreath her hands, dragged Salem flat onto her back and proceeded to rip her pants apart at the seams and fling the remnants behind her without a care.  Salem seemed caught somewhere between blind lust and chastisement as her eyebrow cocked and she bit her lip. 

“Yep, totally just did that and don’t even care.”  Peebee smiled toothily as she stared down at her prize and fought the urge to dive in tongue first.  She kneaded muscled thighs as she drank in the glory of Salem’s gently undulating body, showcasing hard muscle and sculpted curves as dark eyes ringed with a barely-there pale blue iris stared her down. 

“Peebee…”

“Sshhh, let me just enjoy this.”  Peebee sighed happily as Salem growled and fisted the bedsheets.  Her legs came up around her waist and yanked her forward.  She landed on her elbows, hovering above Salem and thoroughly enjoying the way their nipples grazed against each other with every breath.  Salem’s eyes narrowed as her legs tightened their grip around her waist. 

“If you don’t-”

“Don’t get your panties in a – wait.  Nevermind, I tore them apart.”  Peebee giggled at her own joke as Salem rumbled threateningly again and nipped her chin.  “Fine, fine, Impatient.  Don’t you know the build-up can be just as fun?”

“I thought you wanted aggressive cuddling?”

“We can do that later, I want to _savor_ this.” 

Contradicting herself, Peebee began nipping and kissing her way down Salem’s body, pausing here and there to leave a bruise or linger on a sensitive spot.  By the time she settled in the cradle of her hips, Salem was twisting and shuddering, cursing colorfully under her breath.  Peebee took a second to look up the length of her body at her heaving breasts and dark eyes before she kissed her clit and they disappeared as Salem threw her head back.  She moaned up at the ceiling as Peebee enthusiastically licked her cunt, rapidly pushing her toward orgasm until she abruptly pulled away. 

“ _What are – don’t stop-_ ”

“I’m flattered you like this so much, but I told you I wanted to savor this.”  Peebee nipped at Salem’s thigh when she tried to sit up and narrowed her eyes.  “Don’t make me tie you down.”

“You wouldn’t _dare._ ”

“Wanna bet?” 

Salem stubbornly began to sit up again and Peebee scrambled to straddle her hips and forced her hands over her head.  She bound them in place with a small singularity and sat back to admire her handiwork, tracing the straining lines in Salem’s arms with barely disguised intrigue.  “Much as I would _love_ to let you have your wicked way with me, I think I’d rather have my own turn uninterrupted first.  Just sit back and enjoy the ride.” 

Peebee sinuously rolled her hips as she let her fingers trip across her own skin and watched as Salem unabashedly drank it in.  She popped the button on her pants and Salem whined lowly, straining at her bonds once more.  Peebee got off her to pull her pants off and dropped them quickly to straddle Salem’s hips again.  Blue eyes were trained on the space between her thighs and Peebee felt herself slicken further in anticipation and excitement. 

“Just…let it ride.” 

As Peebee torturously dragged her fingers down her stomach, she reveled in the gleam of anticipation and arousal that darkened Salem’s eyes.  She gasped as her fingers skimmed across her sex and heard a faint echoing sound from Salem as she shallowly dipped into herself.  She bit her lip and circled her clit with barely-there touches; Salem’s hips jumped as she bore down and growled dangerously.  “I swear to God-”

“Now, there’s no need for that; my name will do _just_ fine.”  Peebee rolled her hips against her fingers steadily and leaned down to plant her palm beside Salem’s head.  They shared several gasping breaths together and Salem strained up to nip at Peebee’s chin, whining as she retreated just slightly so she could only barely feel the back of her hand moving between them. 

“Peebee…”

“That’s more like it.”  Peebee exhaled shakily and let a little more of her weight fall atop Salem.  She reluctantly pulled her fingers away from her clit and dragged them wetly up Salem’s twitching stomach to her breasts and circled a nipple.  “Let’s see if we can do better.” 

She dragged her tongue over her nipple and, when Salem arched up against her mouth with a quiet cry, began laving and suckling with soft pressure.  She ground against the jut of Salem’s hip as she nipped more firmly at her breast and puffed hot breath against spit slick skin when the edge of her clit pressed deliciously against firm skin and bone.  “Shit, that feels good,” she swore, bearing down harder as she simultaneously bit the curve of Salem’s breast.  Salem cried out and strained uselessly against the singularity binding her hands to the bed as her biotics slowly flickered up and down her arms. 

Peebee rutted faster against her, sitting up enough to plant her palms against Salem’s chest as she tossed her head back and gasped at the change in angle.  “Right – oh, Goddess, _yes_.”  She felt her orgasm creeping up on the edge of her consciousness and the niggling need to meld increased with every hard grind and roll of her hips.  She bared her teeth as she tipped over the edge and shuddered hard, rolling her hips to draw out the sensations.  A corner of her brain was moaning unhappily, knowing how much more intense the sensations would have been had she melded with the human writhing and cursing beneath her, but she silenced the traitorous voice with another hard grind and hummed happily as she slowly came down. 

She ran her hands up her sweat slicked skin and caught Salem’s eyes, the pale blue of her iris eclipsed by her blown pupils as she strained against her bonds.  Her muscles stood out beneath her skin and Peebee dragged a couple fingers across the trembling expanse, biting her lip when Salem growled dangerously. 

“That…was _good._ ” 

She snapped her fingers and, almost before the singularity had dissipated, Salem grabbed handfuls of her ass and flipped their positions.  Chapped lips pressed against Peebee’s as callused hands kneaded her skin restlessly; the firm pressure against Peebee’s thigh directing her to let her legs fall open as Salem attacked her jaw and neck.  Peebee gasped as teeth dragged along her pulse and wound her fingers through thick hair, holding Salem in place as she nipped at her skin.  She offered token resistance as Salem pushed her hand away and pressed it into the mattress beside her head, shifting up to stare down at her with dark eyes. 

“Why’d you stop?  We were just getting to the good part.”  Peebee pouted in an attempt to draw Salem back to her lips and tried to move her hands, unsurprised when Salem pinned her more firmly and wedged a thigh between her legs. 

“If you really want to touch, you’ll probably want your hands, that’s all I’m saying.”  She shivered when dark eyes stared down at her for another interminable moment and jumped as Salem rolled her hips against her sex.  “That…that works, too.” 

Peebee slung a leg over the back of her thigh as Salem started up a slow grind and pressed her thigh firmly against her sex.  Peebee arched up for more contact and whined when Salem disappeared, dusting lips and teeth across her skin on her way down her body.  She cried out when teeth set harshly against the skin beside her navel and shuddered as hands brushed down her inner thighs and warm breath ghosted across her slick sex.  Salem’s arms curled beneath her thighs and held her hips in place as she flattened her tongue against her lips, preempting the shocked judder that rocked her body. 

Salem immediately set a punishing pace, rocketing Peebee into an orgasm that made her toes curl and fingers scrabble for purchase in the rumpled sheets beneath her body.  She was still gasping for air her lungs couldn’t seem to find when Salem began nosing at her clit again and only half heartedly pushed at her head, sensitive and twitching but rocking her hips into Salem’s mouth as much as she could.  Salem’s hands held her in place as she made hungry sounds while licking into her sex; a faint growl made Peebee moan as she wound her fingers through damp hair and draped a leg over her shoulder, pressing her heel into Salem’s back.  She arched her back when Salem released one hip to press a finger against her sex.  She moaned long and drawn out as first one, then two fingers slid home and curled up, stretching and filling her perfectly. 

Peebee gasped toward the ceiling as her orgasm washed over her, stretching Salem’s name out into a benediction as her mind reached out instinctively for another to latch onto and meld with.  She just barely managed to curb the meld as her mind brushed against the fringe of Salem’s and ignored the disappointed twinge that beat against her temple with each slowing pulse of her heartbeat.  As she relaxed back into the sheets with a happy sigh, she felt Salem crawl back up her body, pausing occasionally to press lips or teeth against her skin.  She arched weakly as lips closed around her nipple and whimpered when Salem grazed teeth across the peak of her breast.  Her fingers wound through tangled hair and gently tugged her up further so she could lick into her mouth, sighing at the taste of herself on Salem’s tongue. 

They kissed long and slow until Peebee felt Salem’s hand slide down her body again and cup possessively over her sex.  She dug fingers into muscled shoulders as Salem slid the tips of her fingers through her arousal, tipping her head to the side so Salem could nip at her jaw and whisper against her aural cavity, “You wanted to scratch an itch, didn’t you?”

“I kinda thought there would be more scratching on your end, not gonna lie,” Peebee gasped breathlessly, twisting her hips and grasping tightly at her bicep when Salem sheathed two fingers in her cunt and began lazily pumping her arm. 

Salem smirked down at her, dimple popping at the corner of her lip, and curled her fingers as she leaned down for another kiss.  “I think I’d rather you do the scratching, instead.”


	7. Sirens' Call

_They kissed long and slow until Peebee felt Salem’s hand slide down her body again and cup possessively over her sex.  She dug fingers into muscled shoulders as Salem slid the tips of her fingers through her arousal, tipping her head to the side so Salem could nip at her jaw and whisper against her aural cavity, “You wanted to scratch an itch, didn’t you?”_

_“I kinda thought there would be more scratching on your end, not gonna lie,” Peebee gasped breathlessly, twisting her hips and grasping tightly at her bicep when Salem sheathed two fingers in her cunt and began lazily pumping her arm._

_Salem smirked down at her, dimple popping at the corner of her lip, and curled her fingers as she leaned down for another kiss.  “I think I’d rather you do the scratching, instead.”_

~~~~~~

Peebee rolled her shoulders beneath Kadara’s warm sun as she took a step further away from the mouth of the cave and jumped in place to get her limbs warmed up.  She nearly bounded down the face of the small, steep hillside that led to the cave, using her biotics at the last moment to cushion her landing after pushing off from the ground.  She hummed happily as her biotics zipped across her skin and started across the wide valley toward the cliffs the windmills sat upon, ears perked for sound and eyes peeled as she searched the rocky ledges above her and the protrusions that dotted the ground before her.

“Where ya going?”

“Holy mother of – what the _hell_ is _wrong_ with you people?!”  Peebee almost fell over in shock, only held upright by a strong, bony arm that grabbed the back of her jacket at the last second.  She glared fiercely up at Sid, who only laughed warmly and yanked her easily up again.  her eyes twinkled merrily behind the bony plating on her face and her mandibles fluttered with excitement as she poked Peebee in the shoulder. 

“Are we going on an adventure?  You know Ryder doesn’t like anyone leaving the colony unescorted; why are you sneaking out?  Oooh, are we going to kick some Scav ass?”

“ _We_ are doing nothing.  _You_ are going to turn your bony ass around and go back inside.” 

Peebee put her hands on Sid’s biceps and forcibly turned her, giving her a useful push toward the cave.  Sid dug her heels in and chuckled, easily stopping any momentum Peebee had.  “If I go back inside, it’s only going to be to tattle on you.”

“You _wouldn’t._ ”

“Wouldn’t I?”  Sid tipped her head to the side thoughtfully and tapped a nail against her jaw.  “Nope, pretty sure I would.  So, unless you want me to get your girlfriend-”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“-I would suggest you shut it and we get going.  Day’s wasting!” 

Sid pointedly looked up into the sky and then back at Peebee, who scowled deeply before growling and turning back to the valley.  “Fine.  But I swear if you get us killed, or captured, I’m going to haunt you until the end of time.”

~~~~~~

“This is _exactly_ what I was talking about,” Peebee hissed at Sid from their hiding place behind some boulders.  Pistol in hand, she chanced a look over the top of the protrusion and ducked just as flecks of stone were chipped away by a bullet from someone’s gun. 

Sid muttered under her breath as she reloaded her rifle, blood dripping off one mandible from a deep gash beneath her eye.  “Yeah, yeah.  You know, it would have helped if I’d known we were going to the monolith; at least then I wouldn’t have casually strolled into the midst of their fucking camp!  What kind of leader are you?”

“I’m not!”  Peebee insisted as she shot blindly over the boulder.  She smiled grimly as someone yelped in pain and glared at Sid.  “I told you to go back!”

“And I mistakenly decided to ignore your oh so helpful advice and follow your dumb ass!”

“Excuse you,” Peebee said arrogantly.  “I am majestic as fuck.  Don’t go getting your bony ass all butthurt because you decided to _blackmail me_ into coming along!” 

They broke apart as someone shot steadily at their cover and chipped away at the top of the stone.  Peebee rolled to her feet and took off toward the scavs with a biotic shield guarding her front as she took out a person standing atop some crates, smiling grimly as Sid shot at another one poking their head over the top of their cover.  She slid through a bloody puddle and barely managed to hop over a dead scav before taking cover again and shooting over the crate at a trio of turians who were setting up some sort of turret on the ledge above them.  They scattered with vehement curses and she had a moment to breathe before she was pinned again by overzealous gunfire. 

She could just see Sid’s head poking over a crate as she aimed at whoever was shooting and, a second later, the crack of her rifle was followed by a horrible scream and the sound of a body hitting metal.  In the brief reprieve from gunfire, Peebee sprinted back to Sid and slid behind cover beside her.  She panted and swiped at her sweaty forehead, holding a stitch in her side as she met Sid’s eyes.  “I think we need to make a tactical retreat.  They’re obviously well prepared for visitors and we, sadly, are _very_ underprepared.  Unless you happen to have a rocket launcher stashed somewhere among those plates?”

“No, you don’t say,” Sid said wryly.  “I’m afraid I’m fresh out of RPGs.  What do you propose, oh great leader?” 

Peebee pursed her lips thoughtfully, eyes scanning the way they had come from and pausing as she saw something move on the periphery of her vision.  “Shit, I think we’ve been flanked.” 

She lifted her pistol, sighting down the barrel toward the dark blob darting amongst the crates scattered across the area.  Sid jerked her head around and froze next to Peebee, reaching out to yank her pistol down.  “That’s Ryder!”

“But how-” 

Salem came barreling out of cover suddenly, pistol holstered on her hip and rifle slung over her back.  Her biotics flared up her arms and static crackled across her skin as she sprinted past them, somehow meeting Peebee’s eyes in the seconds before she disappeared into the fight.  Pupils swallowed the pale blue of her irises and made her seem more dangerous as a snarl pulled at her lips and bared her teeth wildly.  Her dimple suddenly looked foreboding as she roared a challenge at the scavs and dove into the midst of them, biotics sending several flying immediately as a wave of energy swept them off their feet.  She pivoted smoothly on her feet and lashed out at another behind her, the snap of her abilities rousing Peebee and Sid from their stupor. 

Sid picked off the few lingering on the ledge above the monolith’s platform while Peebee holstered her pistol and waded into the fray, using her biotics to sling a human around like a ragdoll and suspending some others helplessly in the air with a singularity.  Salem, meanwhile, lethally leapt from group to group of desperate scavs as they realized how out of their depth they suddenly were.  Soon the base of the monolith was littered with dead and unconscious scavs and Sid cautiously rose from cover, the barrel of her rifle still smoking as Peebee slowly approached Salem. 

Her chest rose and feel quickly as she fought for breath, hands trembling as the adrenaline wore off and her biotics slowly dissipated, and her eyes were shadowed as she faced Peebee.  “Hey, Salem, nice save back there,” Peebee started lowly.  She edged toward Salem with her eyes flicking between her face and her hands, watching the expressions flit across her face too fast to recognize and her fingers twitch with residual shocks.  “If you hadn’t showed up when you did – thanks, I mean.  Not that Sid and I couldn’t have taken them, but you rea-”

“Shut.  Up.” 

Salem bit the words out through her teeth and Peebee’s teeth nearly clicked together on her tongue as she shut her mouth.  Salem looked around with barely concealed rage, emotion bleeding through her twitching fingers and tense shoulders and the corded line of her neck as her head swiveled slowly.  Peebee exhaled silently as she watched Salem study the silent monolith around them, jumping when something echoed faintly off the metal surrounding them. 

Pebbles rolled off the side of one of the three pillars rising high above them and Salem’s head snapped up just as an asari with stark black markings landed behind Peebee and immobilized her with a biotically charged hand around her neck.  Her other hand extended past Peebee’s head, pistol aimed at Sid, who froze halfway through lifting her rifle to her shoulder.  “I wouldn’t do that,” she purred darkly.  Her breath tickled the edge of Peebee’s aural canal.  “We seem to have a problem here.  See, Sloane wants this structure, and what do I find here but some Rebel _scum_ trying to worm their way in it.  The way I see it, we have two options.  Option one, you leave and let Sloane claim this for Kadara Port.  Option two, you die and Sloane still claims it.  Personally, I’m all for the second option, but if you’re willing to part with this _delicious_ morsel, I might make an exception.” 

Peebee froze when the asari’s hand, still biotically charged, slid down her collarbone and over her breasts to scrape over the seam of her pants and then lazily dragged back up to her neck in a mocking parody of a caress.  “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a maiden.”  She felt the asari’s mind suddenly attack her own and gasped at the painful intrusion.  Her hand curled around the asari’s elbow in a futile attempt to dislodge her hand around her throat as her eyes blackened and her back bowed under the assault.  She faintly heard the asari say something next to her ear as her stomach threatened to empty itself all over the metal beneath her feet.  She shored up her mental defenses and clawed at her arm with one hand as her other grabbed her gun arm and yanked it down, ignoring the burning sensation as the asari’s biotics began singeing her skin. 

A loud sound echoed suddenly off the metal pillars surrounding them and warm fluid sprayed across her face and down her back as the asari abruptly released her.  Peebee staggered forward into Salem’s arms and buried her head in her shoulder, shivering violently as the presence in her mind was severed with a snapping finality that left tears pricking in her eyes.  She felt Salem’s hand come up to cup the back of her head, fingers fitting into the spaces between her crests and kneading gently as she took the majority of her weight. 

“I’ve got you,” she murmured.  “We need to go.  We have to get back to the camp.”  Peebee only tightened her grip around her waist; she relaxed further as Salem sighed and took her into her arms, hefting her as though she weighed nothing and turning to go back into the valley.  She heard the faint vibrations through Salem’s chest as she spoke to Sid, but tuned them out in favor of focusing on the sound of her heartbeat beneath her aural canal; the steady, repetitive _tha-thump_ reassuring her and pushing the panic and dirty feeling to the back of her mind.

~~~~~~

Peebee roused herself briefly when she felt Salem’s grip on her loosen, a panicked sound escaping her throat before she could curb it.  She felt callused fingers brush over her crests as she was laid in a bed and warm breath washed over her cheek.  “I won’t leave, I’m right here; Lexi is just going to look at your wounds, alright?” 

Salem squeezed her hand and continued slowly kneading her fingers between her crests, calming Peebee as she felt another set of hands ghost over her body.  Lexi’s soothing voice washed over her as her fingers paused here and there, cataloguing injuries as she asked Salem what happened. 

“They were out at the monolith; damn fools didn’t realize those fucking Outcasts had set up shop there when they went waltzing in.”  Peebee’s breath caught when Lexi’s fingers grazed over her stomach; a sickening jolt locked up her limbs as the asari’s voice whispered through her mind again insidiously.  “They’re lucky I followed them.  We took them out but one – some asari with black markings – got a hold of Peebee.  She…I don’t know…she had one hand around her neck with her biotics active,” Salem murmured quietly as fingers brushed over the aching skin of her throat and Lexi made a worried sound.  “And then their eyes both went black and Peebee just – it was like someone electrocuted her or something.  Her back arched and she screamed…she just – I thought she had been hurt and I just – shot that fucking _cunt_.” 

Salem’s voice never rose but the venom lacing her words cut into Peebee’s mind and she shuddered, twisting awkwardly on the bed to try and escape the feeling of her mind being invaded, forcibly torn into and battered by the other asari’s will. Hands held her down and she panicked when she felt another presence at the fringe of her consciousness.  She only vaguely heard Lexi’s voice above her, encouraging her to relax and open herself up.  “It’s only me, Miss B’Sayle.  I only want to ascertain any damage done to you; I will not delve into your mind, you have my word.”

“Your word means shit, doc,” she muttered, forcing herself to relax and flinching with every minute insertion of Lexi’s mind into her own.  The process was significantly slowed by her wariness, but eventually Lexi was fully within her mind in a shallow meld and Peebee shrunk back at the traces of appalled horror that bled through her usual reserved stoicism. 

_S’not that bad, doc._

_You were – she – that_ creature _raped your mind.  I would say it is_ very _bad._  

Peebee felt Lexi gently nudging at her shredded mental barriers and inhaled deeply outside the meld, squeezing Salem’s hand for reassurance.  _She didn’t get that deep._

_She didn’t need to.  You know the kind of damage even a shallow Forced Joining_ _can do to someone’s psyche.  All Daughters are taught the consequences of nonconsensual melding from the time they can understand it._   Peebee squeezed her eyes shut as Lexi gently began shoring up her mental barriers with her own will and gently urged her into activity.  _I would suggest melding with an asari who you trust to work through this._

Lexi spoke over Peebee’s automatic rebuff.  _I’m not saying you have to bare your soul, but it_ will _help.  I’ve melded with…enough asari, and other species, to know the impact a meld can have upon one after their minds have been – molested.  Just think about it, please._  

Peebee withdrew from the meld and slowly opened her eyes.  “Okay, doc.”  She tiredly nodded as Lexi stared down at her with compassion brimming in her gaze, turning away as the doctor began treating her wounds. 

Salem sat with an inscrutable expression on her face, one hand covering Peebee’s as her other slowly stopped kneading her crests.  “I…I need to go do some things.  Will you be alright?”  Peebee nodded and Salem stood, breaking their hold as she turned away and walked to the door.  She paused in the frame but didn’t turn around as she spoke, shoulders stiff and body unnaturally still.  “I’ll be by later to take you home.” 

When she swept out, Peebee let out a shuddering breath and shut her eyes, feeling tears burning behind her lids but refusing to let them fall.  She ignored Lexi’s hand pressing into her shoulder and her quiet voice, pretending to fall asleep until the doctor left, then slowly turned onto her side and let her tears fall into the pillow.

~~~~~~

Peebee startled awake with a gasp and flailed with her biotics at the shadow hovering over her.  She struggled as her hands were caught and nearly screamed until Salem’s face came into sharp focus, skin nearly translucent beneath the flare of her biotics.  “Hey, it’s just me.”  Salem quickly released her arms when Peebee stopped struggling and sat in the chair she had abandoned earlier, avoiding her eyes as Peebee slowly got her breathing back under control.  “I just wanted to…are you alright?”

“Oh, I’m just peachy,” Peebee said.  Her voice was raspy from sleep and the remnants of the biotic burns on her throat that the medi-gel hadn’t yet healed, and she winced as Salem flinched back from her.  “I didn’t mean…”

“No, I deserve that.  If I had paid more attention-”

“Don’t go down that road, Salem.  It won’t do you any good.  I’m alive, you’re alive, Sid’s alive, that’s what matters.”

“But that asari-”

“Didn’t do anything that a few dozen bottles of ‘shine and some time with Drack’s hard head can’t cure.”  Peebee tried to lighten the mood but the joke fell flat in the strained atmosphere that existed between them. 

Salem’s eyes seemed clear in the faint glow of the medbay’s lights overhead and the shadows played sharply over her features.  She frowned and leaned in, fingers playing with the blanket covering Peebee.  “It’s okay not to be okay,” she said quietly.  Peebee barely opened her mouth before she was silenced by a heavy look.  “Sometimes shit happens that isn’t alright, and we need to talk to someone about it.  I…I don’t know if I can be that person for you, but if you need to speak to someone about what happened today…please, do.” 

She got up again and Peebee caught her wrist as she stepped back.  “Where are you going?”

“I do still have a colony to run.”

“I thought we covered this already, Salem.”  Peebee scolded halfheartedly. 

Salem’s eyes darkened as she gently pulled her wrist free and stepped back into the shadows that filled the medbay.  “Goodnight, Peebee.”


	8. To War

_“It’s okay not to be okay,” she said quietly.  Peebee barely opened her mouth before she was silenced by a heavy look.  “Sometimes shit happens that isn’t alright, and we need to talk to someone about it.  I…I don’t know if I can be that person for you, but if you need to speak to someone about what happened today…please, do.”_

_She got up again and Peebee caught her wrist as she stepped back.  “Where are you going?”_

_“I do still have a colony to run.”_

_“I thought we covered this already, Salem.”  Peebee scolded halfheartedly._

_Salem’s eyes darkened as she gently pulled her wrist free and stepped back into the shadows that filled the medbay.  “Goodnight, Peebee.”_

~~~~~~

Peebee jumped when the door to her work room slid open and a shadow appeared on the floor.  She kept one hand deep inside the remains of an Observer while her other casually reached for the pistol she kept on hand at all times now, silently fingering off the safety as she watched the shadow move toward her.  Her shoulders stiffened as footsteps echoed quietly off the stone walls and only relaxed when she realized it was Salem walking her way with purposefully loose posture and an open expression on her face.  “Salem, it’s you.”

“Hey, Peebee.  What’s the cause of death?”  Salem nodded at the Observer and watched from beneath her lashes as Peebee put the safety back on her pistol and set it aside before sticking her hands back, elbow deep, into the guts of the machine. 

“Someone decided it would be a good idea to shoot a .50 caliber bullet through the optics of this beauty, but the rest of it is more or less in good condition.  I need to replace some other parts, reassemble the arms and reprogram its core, but I’m hoping to have her up and running by the end of the week.”  Peebee turned her attention to the delicate wiring inside the Observer and listened to Salem’s even breathing, repressing a shiver as she felt eyes burning steadily through the top of her head.  “I’ve got a lot to do, so…”  She pointedly ignored the uncomfortable shuffling from Salem and forced herself to focus on the innards of the disabled machine. 

“Peebee, I-” 

Salem broke off with muttered cursing and planted her hand on the table beside Peebee.  “Will you at least look at me when I’m attempting to apologize?”

“What in the world do you have to apologize for?”  Peebee’s abject confusion finally halted her hands and she turned to face Salem with a perplexed expression on her face. 

“If I had only been faster-”

“No.  _No_ , we are _not_ going there.”  Peebee put her palm over Salem’s mouth when she opened it and leveled a glare at her.  “You did nothing wrong, and if you think apologizing will magically make everything-”

“You have _nightmares,_ ” Salem insisted.  “I hear you in the middle of the night; gasping, pacing, muttering to yourself.”  Peebee gaped and Salem took a step closer until she was firmly in her personal space and covered her hand that was resting limply on the table.  “I may not have led you there myself, but I didn’t react fast enough, I wasn’t _fast enough-_ ”

Peebee pressed her lips against Salem’s in an effort to quell her self-flagellating words; their noses bumped painfully and teeth clacked, but she felt Salem’s hand slip into the grooves of her crest like they were molded for her and she fisted her hair in her hands.  The kiss softened almost immediately until they were just breathing each other’s air, foreheads pressed together and fingers caught against skin.  Peebee purred as Salem kneaded the sensitive dips between her crests, leaning further into her sturdy frame.  “It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered.  “If anything, Sid and I should be to blame; we were the ones who went out uninformed.  We put _you_ in danger, having to carry our useless asses.” 

She jumped when Salem planted a palm firmly on the swell of her backside and squealed when it was squeezed.  “I don’t know, I kind of think your ass is pretty damn useful, in the right circumstances.”  Salem pulled back and smirked up at Peebee.  Her free hand cupped her jaw and lightly traced her lower lip, pale blue eyes following the slow motion as the smile slipped off her lips.  “I wish I could help you.  I wish I could do more.”

“You are.”  Peebee pulled Salem into a full bodied hug and sighed.  “You’re here.  And I appreciate it.  And if you tell _anyone_ that I admitted to that, I will dump your body in the water and _no one_ will find you.” 

Salem squeezed her tightly and chuckled, bussing a kiss along her jaw.  “Okay, I get it.  But, hey.  I’m serious, okay?”

“You’re always serious.”

“I mean it.  I want to do more.  I know – I know you haven’t been exactly an example of sociable-ness, but…if you want to – talk.  I’m here.”  Salem squeezed Peebee’s hands and backed away slowly.  She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Peebee staring after her with a curious expression on her face.

~~~~~~

Peebee wandered into the Throne Room and paused at the flurry of sound that filled the cavernous space.  Nearly two dozen people filled the floor while Salem perched atop the dais, body conveying the tension that filled the room as voices rose angrily.  Drack roared and beat his chest furiously.  “Those dirty assholes killed three more men today!  That’s almost a dozen _this week_ , Ryder!  We need to do something!” 

Across from the enraged krogan, a diminutive turian shook his head.  “What can we do?  Sloane controls the port, she controls the people; they outnumber us five to one!  Her men are better armed than us, and you can damn well bet they’re better fed, better equipped-” 

Drack growled lowly enough to make Peebee’s bones rattle and the argument devolved into shouting once again.  She glanced up at Salem, whose posture was increasingly stiff and face terrifyingly blank.  No one noticed when she stood up, or the first step she took off the dais.  Peebee watched her pull her knife out of its sheath and casually flip it, then a flash of biotics buried it in the wall between Drack and the turian, a hairsbreadth between their heads.  The turian reared back and fell into a wall of people behind him, while Drack whipped out his shotgun. 

“Enough!”  Salem’s voice carried through the hall and silenced all conversation.  Every eye turned to her; her stance straightened almost imperceptibly as her jaw hardened and her eyes turned flinty.  “Are we fighters or are we children, quarreling amongst ourselves while the enemy draws near?  Twenty four good men and women have died this month…our patrols become more heavily armed and _still_ they return injured, dead…”  Salem’s voice was powerful and blunt, every word delivered for maximum impact, and Peebee could almost see each one land on every person in the hall. 

“We’ve all lost someone since we landed on this godforsaken rock.  A parent, a sibling, a lover.  We know Sloane is at the heart of it; her people have _no_ problem flaunting their responsibility for their deaths!  Well, guess what!  We have an _in!_ ”  A confused murmur struck up at the fringe of the hall, slowly building as Salem paced restlessly in the midst of the crowd.  She twisted on her heel and stopped against the wall beside her knife, buried deeply in the seams of the wall.  “We have the prisoners still in their cells – trusted people we can use to get in and _win!_   We will take back the Port, we will remove the scum from the ranks of Sloane’s army, and we will _dethrone her!_ ” 

A raucous cheer went up as Salem ripped the blade from the wall and lifted it into the air, biotic blue glinting off the edge.  Peebee felt her fervor rise in the wake of the impassioned speech and watched the people scatter on Salem’s orders to catalogue supplies and forces.  She pushed away from the wall when Salem was the only one left in the room and smiled coyly as pale blue eyes met hers.  “That was quite a speech, I have to say.  Some would say….stimulating.” 

She walked her fingers up Salem’s bicep as she spoke, letting her biotics flirt at the edge of her fingertips and heat the spaces between them.  Salem regarded her with interest in her eyes but didn’t say anything.  Peebee took a deep breath and wrapped her hand around the back of Salem’s neck, pulling her in for a kiss.  She leaned her forehead against her temple and let her calm energy center her.  “Take me to bed?”

~~~~~~

“Are you…I don’t want to force you-”

“As if.  I want this, Ryder.”  Peebee smiled, but when Salem didn’t seem assured, swayed over and cupped her face in her hands.  “I’m fine, really,” she said quietly.  “Just take things…slow.  We’ll be fine, hey?  Nothing a good ole’ romp can’t fix.”  She winked cheekily and walked backwards toward her bed, leading Salem by the hand. 

They dropped onto the mattress in a flurry of limbs and discarded clothing, and Peebee rolled so she was on top of Salem.  Breathless and bright eyed, she leaned over Salem and rolled against her thigh, humming appreciatively at the friction.  Salem let her have the moment, simply resting her hands on her hips to aid the motion and staring up at her with something akin to reverence in her eyes.  Peebee groaned, planted her palms on Salem’s hard stomach, and let the pleasure break over her in waves that ebbed and flowed with each grind against muscle. 

“Shit – I want-”

“Come here.” 

Salem’s fingers slid into the grooves of her crest and pulled her down into a kiss that left them both breathless; Peebee rolled her hips faster as she sat up and scraped her palms up the length of her body, putting her breasts on display as she panted hard.  “Salem, I – fuck, can you?”  She whimpered as her clit brushed electrically over skin and shuddered closer to orgasm, grabbing one of Salem’s hands and directing it to her sex.  “Just…”

“I know what you want.” 

Salem slowly slipped two fingers into her clenching sex, taking away the immediate pleasure Peebee got from riding her thigh, but replaced it with her thumb as she curled her fingers within her.  Peebee moaned lowly and settled on her fingers with a harsh roll of her hips; elbows rested on either side of Salem’s head as their foreheads fell together and she shut her eyes, feeling the incredible rush of endorphins rising in her as the nape of her neck began itching with the need to meld.  She cautiously opened herself to it and reached out for Salem, stuttering to a halt at the first contact even as she chased her orgasm frantically. 

_I don’t –_ Salem, what if – _it hurt_ – hurt me, hurt _– you, can’t let anyone hurt_ – you, too important to _– me, but it scares me, she_ – took my _– mind, hurt, raped, scared_ – help _– help, please help_ – make me _– make me feel_ – whole, make _– me feel safe_ – safe.

She felt Salem’s callused hands on her cheeks, wiping away tears she wasn’t aware she had shed, and a voice floating around her, reassuring and warm and _safe_.  “I’ve got you, it’s alright.  No one will hurt you here.”  _You’re safe with me, I promise.  Let me in?_  

Peebee took a deep breath and opened herself further, trembling as Salem’s mind melded with hers.  She felt hands, soothing and sure, traipse across her neck folds and down her arms, one holding her hand as the other delved back into her wet sex and slowly eased her back into motion. 

_So wet, for me, only me-_

_Always you, just you, don’t want-_

_Anyone else; only you, only-_

_Us, here, now-_

_Always, I’m yours-_

_Mine; take, have, hold-_

_Pleasure-_

_Together-_

**_Now._ **

Peebee clenched around fingers and moaned loudly against Salem’s lips, hips juddering unevenly while her knees clenched around her hips tightly and her abdomen tightened almost to the point of pain.  Salem whined at the back of her throat as her sex convulsed with sympathetic spasms and let Peebee ride hers out, drawing her back in for a messy kiss after her eyes lost their black gleam.  She frowned as Peebee drew back, trying to drag her back into her grasp but acquiescing as a blue hand was pressed into her sternum. 

“Patience, stud.  Good things and all that jazz.  Let me repay the favor for such a _spectacular_ orgasm.”  Peebee coyly licked her lips and began descending down Salem’s body, stopping here and there to suck a bruise into scarred skin or nip at sensitive areas.  Salem tossed her head back at the first brush of tongue against her slick cunt, dragging her fingers along the grooves on Peebee’s head and gasping toward the ceiling.  She felt her mind brush against her and happily opened herself to the meld, losing herself in the thoughts and feelings being pushed at her, and let the wave break over her head.

~~~~~~

Salem stirred at the rapid knocks on the door and peered over the blue expanse draped across her body as it opened slightly.  Vetra peeked in, eyes widening at the sight before her, and cleared her throat awkwardly.  “We’re ready to go when you are, Warlord.”

“I’ll be right there,” Salem whispered.  Vetra nodded and shut the door, and Salem stared down at Peebee with an affectionate look in her eyes.  She ghosted her palm down her back and slowly inched out from beneath her, sliding her pillow into Peebee’s arms as she reached out in sleep for her.  Peebee curled around the battered pillow with a disgruntled frown but fell back into sleep, and Salem let out a sigh as she searched for her clothes. 

She stepped out of the construct a few minutes later with her weapons on her person and a pack of necessities on her back.  Vetra was waiting with eyes downcast, mandibles clicking together uncomfortably as Drack looked down at her with a leer on his face.  “Not a word,” Salem grunted. 

She led them to the entrance of the cave, where another soldier was waiting with the three saboteurs they had captured at the wind turbines.  The human was staring out at the darkened landscape with a longing look in his eyes, while the asari and turian carefully watched Salem approach.  “What brought this about, oh great Warlord?” The asari asked with no small amount of amusement in her voice.  “I thought we were to spend our days languishing in our cells.”

“I require your services; perform well, and you’ll receive your freedom.” 

All three of them gaped at her then, astonishment bright in their eyes, and the human was the first to nod.  “Of course, anything!  What do you need?” 

Salem smiled grimly, the star studded night sky putting her face in deep shadow only barely lit by the lights within the cave.  “A way in.”

~~~~~~

Peebee groaned and stretched as she woke, clutching at the soft, pliable form beneath her.  “Mmm, Salem, if that’s what it takes to wear you out, then count me _in._ ”  She blearily opened her eyes and blinked in confusion when she came face to face with Salem’s pillow, creased and warm with her body heat.  “What the?” 

Peebee sat up and looked around the small construct, slipping off the bed and checking her corner and then, out of options, looked beneath both beds and in the shower.  “She just can’t stop working.”  Peebee sighed and pulled on some clothes, shaking her head at the shredded shirt laying in the middle of the floor as she pulled her jacket over her shoulders and walked out the door. 

She paused in the cavern as she registered the buzzing anxiety that filled the room, and looked for Salem again.  She spotted neither her, nor Drack, nor Vetra, and felt the first real spike of anxiety in her stomach as she wandered toward Sid’s quarters.  She barged in without knocking and grabbed the surprised turian by her chest plate when she saw her about to walk out the door, pushing her back inside and leaning back against the door to keep her from exiting.  “What the hell, Peebee?”

“Where is she?”

“Who?”  Sid wouldn’t meet her eyes, claws twitching as her mandibles flared anxiously. 

Peebee growled, stalked forward and stabbed her finger into Sid’s face.  “Don’t _who_ me, Sidara Nix.  _Where. Is. She._ ” 

Sid glanced away, then sighed and leaned against the counter behind her.  “You’d better sit down.”


	9. To the Victors

_“Where is she?”_

_“Who?”  Sid wouldn’t meet her eyes, claws twitching as her mandibles flared anxiously._

_Peebee growled, stalked forward and stabbed her finger into Sid’s face.  “Don’t who me, Sidara Nix.  Where. Is. She.”_

_Sid glanced away, then sighed and leaned against the counter behind her.  “You’d better sit down.”_

~~~~~~

“Are you sure this is right?”  Drack hissed at Salem, growling when his head brushed the low ceiling of the tunnel they were crawling through.  “This doesn’t seem right, Ryder.”

“Stow it, Drack.  If it isn’t, you get first dibs at them.”  Salem made sure she said it loudly enough for the saboteurs ahead of them to hear her, and felt satisfied as the human whimpered quietly. 

At the front of the line, Vetra stopped in front of a grate and jimmied the pins out of the sides, then slowly eased it out of the wall and laid it on the ground.  She disappeared from view briefly, then her hand was coaxing them out of a crawl and into a room filled with massive pipes that filled the chamber with the sound of rushing water.  “The filtration system,” she said over the dull roar. 

The human looked around nervously as the asari nodded.  “All points lead aboveground, this is just the most…discreet way.  This way.”  She led them down the grated walkways, over fetid waters and pipes small and large, and held her hand out at an intersection.  “That way,” she said, thumbing toward some stairs, leads to ground level.  It lets out near Kralla’s Song.  No soldiers, but they’ll swarm you outside if you aren’t careful.  That way takes you into a maintenance shaft inside the compound.  Straight into the belly of the beast, and no exit strategy.”  She jerked her head toward a ladder the other way and shrugged.  “Take your pick, great leader.” 

Salem glanced at Vetra and Drack, then snapped her fingers and smiled toothily as her biotics wounds warmly down her arm and created a clawed blade around her knuckles.  She stalked toward the ladder and stopped when the turian spoke up.  “What about us?”

“You’re welcome to join me if you want a fight, otherwise, stay out of my way.”  Salem growled the words, feeling them like gravel in her throat, and watched the human flinch away. 

The turian clicked his mandibles contemplatively while the asari smiled slowly and let her biotics flow down her arm.  “I’ll follow you, great leader.” 

Salem nodded tersely and grabbed the lowest rung of the ladder, pulling herself up and peeking out from beneath the grate into the maintenance room.  She flipped the hatch back and hefted herself up, then waited until the asari and turian had climbed up, and shut it silently behind them.  “I know the layout of the compound; I know where we are.  If we go right out of this door, that will take us right to the throne room.  Sloane will be there.”

“How do you know,” Vetra asked. 

Salem bared her teeth dangerously.  “Because I know how she operates.  She’ll want to be able to bask in her handiwork, and what better way to do that than from _my_ chair?”  Drack snorted and pulled his shotgun off his shoulder, rumbling lowly in readiness.  The asari flexed her fingers as the turian took a pistol from a suspicious Vetra, and then all eyes were on Salem. 

“Let’s go tear shit up.  Stay close, stay alert, stay alive.”

~~~~~~

Peebee stalked toward the mouth of the cave, pistol in hand and biotics whipping irately around her, while Sid trailed her nervously and sent repeated looks over her shoulder toward the cavern.  “Peebee, you can’t!”

“Watch me.”

“You’ll end up dead, and then _I’ll_ end up dead for letting _you_ die.”

“I’ll be fine.”  Peebee shut her eyes as the first rays of the morning sun washed over her skin, just barely peeking over the peaks of the mountains surrounding them.  She twisted on her heel to stare at Sid.  “Stay here if you’re that scared.  I’ll be back later, with _her Majesty_ in tow, and then you can tattle on me.”

“Oh, come on.  Don’t be like that, Peebee.”  Peebee started walking and heard Sid scramble after her.  They walked in silence for several minutes before Sid broke the strained silence.  “I’m not scared, you know.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“I’m _not_ , not for myself anyway.  I’m worried about you?”

“Why?”

“Because…you don’t exactly have the best track record for thinking when you’re pissed, Peebee,” Sid said dryly. 

Peebee tossed a smirk over her shoulder.  “True.  However, when properly motivated, I can be _quite_ focused.”  The dark gleam in her eyes made Sid stutter in her steps, and she had to scramble again to catch up as Peebee began climbing across some boulders.

~~~~~~

Salem straightened as Vetra returned silently to the maintenance room.  “Soldiers everywhere, Ryder.  A couple patrols in the hallway, a half dozen more in a side room, couldn’t get to the throne room, but I bet there’s more than a few guarding Sloane there, too.  Good news though, she hasn’t added any other escape doors.”

“That’s something at least,” Salem muttered.  She closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded to herself and lifted her chin.  “Vetra, you and Mouthy here,” gesturing at the asari who only scoffed and crossed her arms, “will _silently_ take out the next patrol.  We’ll drag them in here while you make your way to the doors and bar them, then take out the next patrol.  I don’t care if you use a pipe, a wooden board, or her spine, but I don’t want anyone getting in or out, understood?”

“Got it.”  Vetra tugged the asari out into the hallway and, several tense minutes later, two sharp raps announced their return.  They dropped three bodies at the door and Drack and Salem pulled them inside while Vetra and the asari disappeared again. 

Salem jerked her head in the direction they disappeared in, and the three of them silently followed their footsteps.  They came across a few small smears of blood, but otherwise the hallway was pristine.  A dull _thump_ made Salem pause as they reached the front doors, which were barred with a mangled piece of rebar and a long smear of blood led them to another room filled with nearly a dozen dead soldiers and the heady feeling of biotics still racing on the air.  Vetra and the asari were panting lightly as they whipped around, weapons at the ready, and Salem lifted her hands.  “Just us.  Good job.”

“Child’s play.”

“Keep that in mind when we get into the throne room and all hell breaks loose.  Okay, so we can safely assume there will be at least a dozen soldiers in there, but always bet on more.  Mouthy, you and I will protect the other three with a biotic shield.  Vetra, you sneak in after we’ve infiltrated and take out who you can stealthily.  Drack, you and Hush over there will be our main offense until we know numbers.”

“Heh, I can do that, Ryder.”

“Just stay behind the barricades, big guy.” 

Drack grunted in acknowledgement and the turian accepted Salem’s assault rifle steadily, checking the magazine and sighting down the scope briefly before nodding.  Salem led them back down the hall, stopping when she heard voices, but then tiptoed onward.  The guards at the wide doors to the throne room were engaged in a game on one’s omni-tool, allowing Salem to walk nearly up to them before they realized she was there.  One was dead before he knew what happened, and the other barely had time to open her mouth before Salem had stabbed the biotic claws beneath her jaw, up into her brain.  She dropped at her feet and Salem flicked the biotic claws, blood flecking onto the floor in a gruesome spatter. 

“On three.  One, two, _three!_ ” 

She pushed the doors open and put up a barrier, the asari beside her with her own, as Drack and the turian opened fire on the frozen guards.  Nearly two dozen soldiers filled the room to the brim, and five of them dropped in the first three seconds as the turian and Drack fired into a large group.  Salem watched one, then two more drop from her periphery as Vetra slunk along the wall on one side.  She grunted when the first burst of return fire peppered her shield and her shield and growled at the asari, “Get rid of those assholes; I’ve got this, just stay behind the shield!”  The asari nodded and let her shield drop to charge her biotics, releasing them in a powerful pulse that sent two daring soldiers flying back toward Sloane, who was staring from the end of the hall with an enraged look on her face. 

The fight was messy and brutal, bodies flying across the room with blood misting through the air and bullets ricocheting dangerously off metal walls.  Salem winced when a stray round whizzed past her ear, close enough to hear the sound before it dented the wall at her back, and she let her shield fall as she threw a singularity into the midst of the room, away from her companions.  Several soldiers were dragged into the air kicking and screaming, and the turian took them out with a focused burst of gunfire.  They fell back to the ground with a dull thud that Salem felt in her toes as she advanced further into the hall. 

She stepped carefully over a mangled torso and ducked beneath another guard’s desperate swing.  She deflected his attacking arm with her gauntlet and tore his knife out of his hand, twisting her arm to shove the blade deep into his neck.  Before he started dropping, she was turning her attention further into the hall, where Drack was happily mowing down a trio of guards.  He charged at them with a deafening roar, shrugging off bullets like they were nothing as he slammed one guard against the floor and lifted the other into the air before pressing his shotgun against their chest and pulling the trigger.  Drack roared a challenge as blood and viscera rained down on him, and the few guards still standing visibly cringed. 

Sloane pulled herself out of her chair, an enraged expression twisting her dark features, and kicked at a moaning soldier as she stepped off the dais.  “You think you can come in here in, what, _win?_   Be some fucking usurper and control the Port?  You _think-_ ”

“Shut the fuck up.” 

Salem walked past Drack, stopping several feet away from Sloane.  She kept her hands neutrally at her sides although a dangerous glint lit her pale eyes from within.  “You’re done, Sloane.  That’s the long and the short of it, so we can do this one of two ways: you either surrender now and I will _consider_ letting you get off-world.  Or, this turns into a knock-down, drag-out fight and I drag you in by the throat and throw you off the South Wall myself.”  Salem leaned back on her heels with a cold smile on her lips and crossed her arms as Sloane growled impotently. 

Drack knocked out a squirming guard with the butt of his shotgun while the turian stood watch at the doors and the asari stood beside her with one hand wreathed in biotics and blood splashed macabrely across her indigo features.  “I can hear more of them at the doors right now, we might want to hurry this up, Fearless Leader.”

“You’ll never be able to kill all my men,” Sloane sneered.  “They’ll put you down like dogs if you so much as show your face outside this compound.”

“The question,” Salem said quietly as she stepped up to Sloane, “Is if they can kill me before I put my claws through your _skull_.”  She grabbed Sloane by the throat and put her biotic claws against her temple, just barely piercing the skin and watching a dark bead of blood roll down her face.  “Please, make my day.”

~~~~~~

“I’m going to warp her into the Scourge, I swear to Athame’s tits I will!”  Peebee swore loudly as she and Sid tore through the shanty town outside the Port.  They ran past dirty, terrified people who were staring up at the light to the Port fearfully, where random bursts of gunfire came from. 

“That crazy, dumb, _brainless_ moron went and picked a fight!  If she got herself killed, I’m going to warp her body into space!”  She dodged past some guards and burst into the Port, finding the plaza deserted, wares left unattended and even the subtle bass thumping from Kralla’s Song was eerily absent.  Peebee stopped and waited for Sid to catch up, looking warily around and then taking off toward the compound when another burst of gunfire echoed across the plaza.  “This way!”

“Hey, wait!  Shouldn’t we…” 

Sid’s voice was lost amongst another round of gunfire.  Peebee ran through the broken double doors and nearly tripped over a bent piece of rebar laying on the ground.  The hallway was littered with bodies both dead and unconscious, and she let her biotics flow through her as she crept toward another set of doors.  She peeked into the next room and gasped at the carnage; blood liberally coated the walls and floor in a slick puddle, and she nearly drew her weapon until she realized the krogan at the other end of the room was Drack.  He turned and smiled toothily at her, laughing loudly at her gobsmacked expression.

“Little late to the party, aren’t you?”

“What…happened?”

“We kicked ass!”

 “Peebee?”  Peebee twisted on her heel at the sound of Salem’s voice and found her with blood flecked across her face, sweat beading on her brow, and her clothes tattered from battle.  “What are you _doing_ here?”

“I came to find you!  What the hell were you thinking?”  Peebee smacked Salem’s shoulder, scowling when she barely rocked in place. 

Salem sighed and walked past her, patting Drack on his chest plate so he would move.  She lowered herself onto the dented and scratched throne and lazily draped herself across it, chin cupped in her palm and one leg thrown over the other arm of the chair.  “I was thinking,” she said, sounding very tired and much older than she was, “that I would take care of a threat that would wipe us all out.  I’ve kept my people safe; they can settle here if they want without fearing for their lives.  _And_ , I’ve made a point.”

“What point?” 

Salem reached out with her boot and turned over a body at the foot of the chair.  Sloane’s head flopped limply to the side, blood streaking from her mouth and a gaping wound at her temple that was still leaking fluid.  “Don’t fuck with me.” 

Peebee chewed on her lip while Drack grunted and stalked away, leaving them alone in the room.  “So, what now?”  Peebee gestured around them.  “You’ve destroyed the Outcasts, killed Sloane, brought the Port to its knees.” 

Salem hummed thoughtfully.  “I’ve also united a fractured people, built a home in the mountain, and kept us _thriving_ in exile.”

“Yes.”  Peebee delicately stepped over Sloane’s body and draped herself across Salem’s lap, twisting her fingers through her sweaty hair and leaning their foreheads together.  “So, what now?” She repeated. 

Salem’s hands found a home on her thighs and she looked up at Peebee hovering over her with an uncertain expression in her eyes.  “What do you want?”

“Well…maybe there’s room for one more here?  I mean, after you do some deep cleaning.” 

Peebee glanced at the room again and Salem laughed quietly.  “I think we can come to an agreement.”  She drew Peebee’s gaze back toward her with a hand placed hesitantly on her cheek.  “Do you want to stay here?  With me, I mean.”

“I mean, it’s not like I have anywhere better to go,” Peebee quipped.  “But I’ll have to check my schedule first and make sure nothing major is coming up.  Maybe my people can get in touch with yours?”  She played with the damp, curling hairs at the nape of her neck and smiled.  Salem snorted, rolled her eyes, and leaned in to kiss Peebee.  She tasted of sweat, blood, and the electric remains of biotic haze that were floating through her veins, and Peebee nipped at her lip as she pulled back. 

“Why don’t we just discuss this privately instead?  Maybe we can continue negotiations later tonight.”  Salem smirked as her hand crept around her hip and grabbed a handful of her ass.

 Peebee rolled her eyes, laid another kiss on her lips and gently bumped their foreheads together.  “Keep it in your pants, stud.  We’ve got all day to get to the fun stuff.”

**Author's Note:**

> So there it is, the introduction. Give me your thoughts! I've got a very general layout of what's going to happen and zero ideas of length or time to completion, so don't ask, but anything else is fair game! I'll see you all later!


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